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2013 WORKSHOP:

2012 WORKSHOP ARCHIVE

2011 WORKSHOP EVENT SUMMARY

2011 WORKSHOP ARCHIVE

2010 WORKSHOP EVENT SUMMARY

2010 WORKSHOP ARCHIVE

The challenge of living with water is one shared by deltaic communities around the world.  Nowhere is this more apparent than in post-Katrina New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region, where people live with a daily awareness of the threat, and opportunities, of water.  The series of Building Resilience Workshops I, II and III have been organized with the goals of identifying and fostering the implementation of innovative and sustainable strategies to reduce New Orleans’ and south Louisiana’s vulnerability to potentially catastrophic hazards, both natural and man-made, particularly those that result in severe flooding. 

The 2010 Building Resilience Workshop I addressed a broad range of water- and flood-related issues, with discussions centered on sustainable approaches to rebuilding a culture of resilience in south Louisiana, spurred by impending climate change.  Our international participants provided us with a wealth of new ideas from the Netherlands, Germany, Mexico and Canada.  The BRW II in 2011 focused on the role that innovative, sustainable infrastructure can play in mitigating catastrophic disaster, both by reducing the risk of harmful consequences from extreme events and by facilitating rapid post-event recovery.  The BRW II brought experts from the Netherlands, the UK, France, Belgium, Germany and Australia to share their research on innovative disaster mitigation approaches and experiences with successful transition methodologies for facilitating their implementation. 

The Building Resilience Workshop III again brought together scientists, environmentalists, architects, engineers, city officials, planners, entrepreneurs, grass-roots community organizers, academic researchers, and representatives of federal agencies and native populations.  We were joined this year by a dozen members of the pan-European research project FloodProBE, which focuses its efforts on developing technologies, methods and tools for urban flood risk assessment and reduction.  Two of the leaders of the Dutch Room for the River program participated as well.  One entire day of discussions was devoted to the Louisiana Draft 2012 Coastal Master Plan and its implications for coastal Louisiana communities.   We learned about innovative flood risk reduction strategies from around the world, discussed potential solutions compatible with our unique local ways of life, and created global networks that will help us face the challenges ahead and support the changes we must make to rebuild a culture of sustainability and resilience in the Louisiana Gulf Coast region. 

Thank you for your participation and engagement in this critical discussion about creating a more promising and resilient future for our south Louisiana communities.
 
Highlights of the BRW III:

• The State of Louisiana has recently released its Draft 2012 Coastal Master Plan.  One entire day of sessions at the BRW III focused on the Master Plan and its implications for coastal Louisiana communities.  Workshop participants participated in break-out discussions on the impact of the Master Plan on these communities and their neighbors, and what transitioning strategies will best prepare us all for the changes that the implementation of the Master Plan will bring over the next several decades. 
• The Organizing Committee of the pan-European research project FloodProBE, which focuses on developing technologies, methods and tools for urban flood risk assessment and reduction, chose to hold their Spring 2012 meeting in New Orleans, specifically to coincide with the Building Resilience Workshop III.  The FloodProBE initiative is a partnership of government, industry and NGO interests from the Netherlands, UK, France, Norway, Spain, Czech Republic and Poland.  Fourteen members of the FloodProBE project, as well as two of the leaders of the Dutch Room for the River program, served as speakers and panelists at the BRW III, sharing their insights with us. 

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Made possible with the support from the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association