Presentation given by GBRC Executive Director, Brian Bidolli, at the ACCO Rising Seas Summit, June 19, 2013 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL http://risingseassummit.com/index.html

1. Economic Resilience
in Greater Bridgeport:
A Regional Perspective
Rising Seas Summit, June 19th, 2013
Brian Bidolli
Executive Director, Greater Bridgeport Regional Council

2. • Introduction & Context
• Climate Preparedness Workshops:
tools, process, and outcomes
• Challenges and Strategies
• Translating Momentum into Action
OVERVIEW

3. INTRODUCTION
How do we balance social,
economic and ecological
concerns with the need to keep
people safe, reduce property
damage and avoid disrupting
community life…with reduced
funding and staff capacity to
address these challenges?

4. • Community
Characterization
• Infrastructure Concerns
• Plans
REGIONAL CONTEXT

5. • Over 300,000 people
live in the Greater
Bridgeport Region
• Bridgeport is the most
populous city in
Connecticut, with a
population of over
140,000 people
• Top 50 most populous
in the United States
COMMUNITYCHARACTERIZATION

6. • 2013: Nemo Blizzard
• 2012: Super Storm Sandy
• 2011:Winter Storm Alfred &
Tropical Storm Irene
• June 2010: TornadoCOMMUNITY
CHARACTERIZATION

7. Map & source:
CAT-3 GREATER BRIDGEPORT REGION
www.coastalresilience.org

8. Source: FEMA
SANDY FLOODING,
GREATER BRIDGEPORT REGION

9. INFRASTRUCTURE •Fixed-route bus
system – GBT
•Commuter rail –
MNRR
•Expressways – I-95,
Rte 15, Rte 8 & Rte
25
•Passenger ferry
•Regional multi-use
trail network
•Commercial Port
•General Aviation
Airport

10. A diverse region:
• Median Household Income
varies by municipality,
anywhere between $39,000
to $155,000.
• Large Limited English
Proficient population in
urban areas.
• Dense urban and suburban
patterns of development, as
well as low density suburban
and rural areas.
• Mix of ages, ethnicities and
household sizes.
Owner Occupied
66%
Renter Occupied
34%
SOCIAL
Housing in the
Greater Bridgeport
Region, 2010 Census

11. ECONOMIC
Estimated % Building Loss during a Category 2 Storm,
Coastal Resilience tool: http://lis.coastalresilience.org/lis.html

12. Transit
dependent
population
reliant on bus
service provided
by Greater
Bridgeport
Transit (GBT)
SOCIAL

13. • Bridgeport: Bridgeport Harbor
& Black Rock Harbor
• Pequonnock River in
Bridgeport, Trumbull &
Monroe
• Rooster River/Ash
Creek divides
Bridgeport & Fairfield
• Easton serves as the
regional water supply:
Saugatuck, Aspetuck,
Hemlocks & Easton
Reservoirs
ECOLOGICAL

14. ©TNC
©TNC
BRIDGEPORTWORKSHOPS
Comprehensive (All Hazards) &
Community Driven
Proactive Planning & Mitigation vs.
Crisis Management
www.coastalresilience.org

15. • City of Bridgeport: Emergency Management, Planning
Economic Development, Public Facilities, Finance, Health
& Social Services, Utilities, Land Use, Environmental Health,
Sustainability, Parks
• Business Community
• Education
• Environmental Consultants
• Federal/State Agencies
• Congressional Representation
©TNC
BRIDGEPORT WORKSHOPS

16. ROADMAP&RISKMATRIX

17. WHATYOUSAID…
www.coastalresilience.org
BRIDGEPORTWORKSHOPS Vulnerable areas identified by workshop participants

18. WHATYOUSAID…
www.coastalresilience.org
BRIDGEPORTWORKSHOPS Identified on GIS Maps…

19. Vulnerability
• Evacuation, “at-risk”
communities
• Social Services:
medical, shelters, elderly
• Infrastructure – Age &
Capacity
• Transportation (I-
95, Rail, Bus)
• CSO/WWT – Storm Water
• Natural Resources/
Recreation
• Education/
Communications
BRIDGEPORTWORKSHOPS

20. Amy
Atamian
BRIDGEPORTWORKSHOPS Results…

21. STRATEGY
• Regionalize mitigation strategies:
o Natural hazards are not governed by political
boundaries.
o The Regional Conservation Technical Advisory
Committee (CTAC) serves as a forum for municipal
staff, state agencies, residents, stakeholders and
conservation organizations to share ideas and actions.
• Find overlap between projects:
o Public outreach, data collection and mapping tasks
can be utilized for multiple projects.
o Funding is maximized and the scope of projects can
broaden.
o Comprehensive approach to planning, rather than
siloing projects into discrete units, with little or no
relationship to other projects perceived.
o More efficient use of time for all stakeholders.

22. ACTIONS First Projects Underway
• FEMA Community Rating System application
• Update of Regional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan
• FEMA Community Resilience Innovation Challenge
Grant
• Formation of Regional Conservation Technical
Advisory Committee
• Regional GIS Program
• City of Bridgeport’s Barnum Station
• FHWA’s NY–NJ–CT Hurricane Sandy Transportation
Vulnerability Assessment & Adaptation Analysis

23. ACTIONS Barnum Station Feasibility Study
• Determine the feasibility of constructing a second
rail station in Bridgeport.
• Flooding and concerns about future sea level rise
are integrated into the study.
o Concept Plans limit development in 100 and 500 year
flood plains.
o Proposes a greenway, low impact development and
open space.
• Funded through
a HUD Regional
Planning Grant
(2010, NY-CT
Sustainable
Communities
Consortium).

24. ACTIONS FHWA’s NY–NJ–CT Hurricane Sandy
Transportation Vulnerability Assessment &
Adaptation Analysis
• Assess the impacts of Hurricane Sandy, on the
transportation assets within the greater NY-NJ-CT
metropolitan region.
• Identify critical areas and transportation assets.
• Identify adaptation strategies to increase the
resilience of transportation assets to extreme
weather events and the possible future impacts of
climate change.

25. Brian Bidolli
Executive Director,
Greater Bridgeport Regional Council
bbidolli@gbrct.org
THANK YOU
Link to Report:
www.gbrct.org/programs/
environmental-
programs/coastal-
resilience/
Links to Risk Visualization:
www.coastalresilience.org