As extreme weather impacts intensify throughout the country, the need for more immediate and impactful adaptation and resilience efforts has never been greater. Traditional government approaches aren’t enough, especially as support from the federal level decreases.

Local governments are at the frontline of adaptation and best positioned to know their communities' needs. Just like how they set rules for where buildings can go and how strong they should be, making sure new construction is safe and prepared for future storms and disasters, local governments have the power to protect their communities before disaster strikes.

The National Academy of Public Administration’s Extreme Weather Resilience Hub aims to transform how we think about adapting to extreme weather events. Because the impact of extreme weather is most significantly felt at the local level, our focus is on identifying place-based solutions.

First, let’s explore and aim to understand what a place-based solution is. Imagine a government that “meets you where you are”—a government that minimizes friction, is responsive, and is designed around your life events. That’s the heart of place-based thinking: government and institutions that adapt to people, not the other way around.

Think of it like tailoring a suit. You wouldn’t wear one made from someone else’s measurements. Place-based solutions are like custom tailoring for communities—designed to fit their specific shape, needs, and aspirations.

Instead of applying a one-size-fits-all policy from the top down, place-based solutions ask:
“What works best right here, for the people who live here?”

This means:

• Listening to local communities and designing programs around their lived experiences.

• Partnering with local organizations that already have trust and relationships on the ground.

• Tailoring investments to reflect the geography, culture, and risks of a place—whether that’s a coastal town facing sea-level rise or a community experiencing consistent threats from wildfires.

By doing so, we can ensure that place-based solutions are effectively reducing risk from extreme weather impacts. 

"Place-based solutions are essential for reducing risk from extreme weather impacts because they align mitigation and adaptation strategies with the unique environmental, social, and infrastructural characteristics of specific communities, thereby enhancing resilience and long-term sustainability," says Naim Kapucu, Ph.D., Academy Fellow and Pegasus Professor of Public Administration and Policy at the University of Central Florida.

The Academy’s Extreme Weather Resilience Hub will explore this topic and more on September 18 at 3:30 p.m. ET. Please join us in welcoming Fellows and friends to our Office in Washington, D.C., both in person and virtually, to discuss this critical topic.

Join Us!