Community vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning: A workshop methodology to expedite progress

We lay out a methodology for planning and implementing place-based climate adaptation workshops, which are an increasingly commonly used tool to help communities prepare for and respond to climate change impacts. This methodology was created using literature from the field, a Delphi study to generate consensus-based best practices for effective workshops in the United States, and the authors’ experiences implementing the methodology at workshops in eight U.S. communities across a range of geographies, political contexts, and climate exposures. Workshop facilitators guided participants through vulnerability assessments for their communities, introduced tools and data for supporting this work, and engaged participants in break-out group discussions to co-develop adaptation solutions for increasing community resilience to identified climate change vulnerabilities. Our work supports that workshop effectiveness is enhanced when key conditions are put in place, including encouraging a diversity of participation; reducing barriers to participation; providing expert facilitation; sharing locally relevant examples; and creating space for co-generated solutions that are feasible and for which leaders and partners are identified to lead implementation. We share evidence that, while workshops were recent, communities have started undertaking adaptation solutions identified during the climate adaptation workshops and are translating them into planning and implementation in their communities. In providing this methodology, we aim to share a case study for creating and conducting effective, capacity-building place-based climate adaptation workshops that can help communities build resilience to climate change.