What is AdaptSJ?
In order to become resilient to the effects of Climate Change our community's residents, ecosystems, businesses and systems must be able to survive, adapt and thrive despite the stresses and shocks caused by its impacts. Accomplishing this requires supporting and fostering an environment where residents of Saint John are well-connected to their neighbours and have social support systems in times of need. It will require physical environments, such as wetlands and urban forests, that help provide shade and passive cooling opportunities in the Summer and that reduce the impact of extreme cold in the Winter. It will require stormwater infrastructure that can handle larger storm events, and will require water resources which meet the timing and flow demands of humans and natural systems alike. It will require energy systems that can efficiently handle periods of high demand and buildings that rely less on energy sources such as electricity, oil, and natural gas. It will require affordable transportation systems that function throughout extreme weather events, and it will require land use capable of accommodating population shifts due to climate migration.
That is why ACAP Saint John has initiated AdaptSJ, a process where we will investigate, test and implement ways that climate adaptation can help our city meet its basic development needs, build equitable and vibrant neighbourhoods, and become the resilient, thriving community we all know it can be.
City of Saint John climate change adaptation plan
In collaboration with the City of Saint John, and through support from New Brunswick’s Climate Change Secretariat, ACAP Saint John completed Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the city. Project findings will be included in revised editions of the municipal plan and will influence the future growth of city neighbourhoods in new developments and neighbourhood dialogue.
Our future well-being depends on the resilience of our communities, cities and ecosystems, and resilience provides a critical point of integration for adaptation and mitigation strategies.
AdaptSJ was presented to council and approved on November 9, 2020.
Download the Adaptation Plan!
Adaptation in Urban neighbourhoods
As one of Canada’s oldest municipalities, Saint John is challenged by ongoing social and environmental inequity whereby areas with the most severe poverty rates in Canada are also those in closest proximity to highly vulnerable coastal areas as well as both the region's commercial core and Atlantic Canada’s industrial heartland. In response to these challenges, ACAP Saint John has built upon its role as a leading environmental incubator in Atlantic Canada to secure support from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to develop a design-focused Climate Change Adaptation Study for three central neighbourhoods in Saint John.
Click on the report to read:
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