Title: Identifying Coastal Resilience Solutions by Community Design in New Haven County, Connecticut

Abbreviated Abstract: In the US’ coastal North East, the impacts of climate change are already being felt by communities who live near the shore – from destructive hurricanes and heavy winter storms to nuisance flooding and rapidly rising sea levels. Over the next decade there will be an increasing need for local government, businesses and individuals to collaborate in identifying and implementing solutions that allow communities to adapt without negatively impacting environmental, social and economic conditions. Heavily grounded in specific places, these solutions need to be shaped by both expert knowledge and the perspectives of local people who have strong attachment to these locations. This project is based in New Haven County, Connecticut, and identifies the climate change adaptation solutions that can have the most positive impact on the county’s socio-ecological systems now and into the future. This study takes a three tiered approach by 1) identifying the coastal resilience priorities of experts within the state, and 2) understanding coastal resilience priorities of local community members in New Haven County, and finally, 3) visualizing climate resilience futures being considered by these community members. The solutions that are frequently chosen by participants tend to be multi-faceted and lead to multiple positive impacts that improve habitat, local economic viability and opportunities for increased community engagement with the coastline. Ultimately, this research outlines possible climate change adaptation pathways for New Haven County communities moving forward that can be extrapolated to inform decision-making processes in other coastal counties throughout the region.