https://rcl.mit.edu MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website Tue, 25 Feb 2025 15:11:07 +0000 https://rcl.mit.edu en https://rcl.mit.edu/Mobile-nav Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:46:32 +0000 MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website https://rcl.mit.edu/Mobile-nav <img width="1852" height="1072" width_o="1852" height_o="1072" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fbcf5ac8fa89a5df7681a3a4cebc0aedb9199c3a7c46864eceaff1c83176258f/image002.png" data-mid="225337694" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fbcf5ac8fa89a5df7681a3a4cebc0aedb9199c3a7c46864eceaff1c83176258f/image002.png" /> InitiativesProjects News AboutTeam Contact LinkedIn ©2025 RCL https://rcl.mit.edu/About Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:46:33 +0000 MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website https://rcl.mit.edu/About <img width="1288" height="837" width_o="1288" height_o="837" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8c6cbe95950bd7162bc31ababa2f7e58c1a0ca12ef861fe767a0c4451a9b3d85/about.png" data-mid="225337705" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8c6cbe95950bd7162bc31ababa2f7e58c1a0ca12ef861fe767a0c4451a9b3d85/about.png" /> Who We Are The Resilient Communities Lab (RCL), led by Professor Janelle Knox-Hayes and housed within the Department of Urban Studies &amp; Planning (DUSP), is an interdisciplinary team of MIT faculty, researchers, and students developing resilience solutions. We aim to build a collaborative network connecting academic, government, non-profit, community, and policy groups to ensure equitable sustainability outcomes. Our engagement supports frontline communities in formulating resilience strategies to withstand, respond, adapt, and recover from present and future challenges. <img width="1001" height="683" width_o="1001" height_o="683" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0b81a798e67afb522e123e8d0a3575bcb241a9759d4b722e34c69615853bc6f0/group_photo_rcl_update.png" data-mid="228249023" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0b81a798e67afb522e123e8d0a3575bcb241a9759d4b722e34c69615853bc6f0/group_photo_rcl_update.png" /> Our ValuesWe believe that genuine sustainability is built upon equity and justice. Traditional science and engineering strategies often at the center of addressing climate change are not mutually exclusive of the dimensions of humanity they aim to serve.&nbsp;The Resilient Communities Lab uses a humanistic approach to resolve environmental conflicts, aiming to develop holistic solutions for people and the planet.&nbsp;Through academic exploration and community collaboration, we seek to grow cultural understanding, foster respect, and ensure the inclusion of all peoples. The RCL commits to promoting social justice, respect for diversity, and equity in our work—values essential to creating a world where all communities can thrive. <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7c29828bbdef43c71e193844095077575f51f589d5daa6f1dd56f61d744e2ee6/IMG_0870.JPG" data-mid="225337708" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7c29828bbdef43c71e193844095077575f51f589d5daa6f1dd56f61d744e2ee6/IMG_0870.JPG" /> How We Work: Statement of EthicsThe RCL is committed to upholding ethical principles in all aspects of its work. This commitment is grounded in a belief that diverse perspectives and experiences are essential to addressing complex global challenges. It adheres to ethical research standards, including informed consent, confidentiality, and privacy, in its community interactions. We recognize the importance of respecting the autonomy of communities, and their right to control their data. We seek community engagement and input at all stages of research and development, with the aim of creating collaborative and meaningful relationships with communities that prioritize their needs and perspectives.The RCL values transparency, and believes that open communication and accountability are essential to building trust and maintaining ethical practices. Our Collaborators<img width="1370" height="956" width_o="1370" height_o="956" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/522151aa08d00a47336ed4fa81bb5feea3be35925273f708b4e415b596f7aa1f/collaborators.png" data-mid="225337710" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/522151aa08d00a47336ed4fa81bb5feea3be35925273f708b4e415b596f7aa1f/collaborators.png" /> MIT Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU) City of Boston Boston Housing Authority GreenRoots Native Land Conservancy North American Indian Center of Boston NOAA Sea Grant Boston Planning &amp; Development Agency UMASS Boston Ethics Institute, Utrecht University MIT School of Architecture &amp; Planning MIT School of Engineering Sandia Labs University of Virginia Center for Cultural Humility Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Shinnecock Indian Nation MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) MIT Climate &amp; Sustainability Consortium (MCSC) Abdul Latif Jameel Water &amp; Food Systems Lab (JWAF) US Department of Energy (DOE) Hispanic Chamber of Coastal Virginia Isle de Jean Charles Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe MIT SOLVE Earth Institute of Columbia University Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN) Sovereign Science Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledge &amp; Science (CBIKS) MIT SLOAN School Clean Energy States Alliance University of Michigan School for Environment &amp; Sustainability https://rcl.mit.edu/Contact Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:46:33 +0000 MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website https://rcl.mit.edu/Contact Contact A future that is both sustainable and equitable is possible. Contact us to learn more about our work. We welcome conversations with academic, government, industry, non-profit, municipal, and community partners. Note: The RCL is not currently offering internships, jobs, or post-doctoral positions. Mailing Address77 Massachusetts Avenue Building 9 Cambridge, MA 02139 Reach out to us using this link or email us at mit_rcl@mit.edu. https://rcl.mit.edu/Initiatives Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:46:34 +0000 MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website https://rcl.mit.edu/Initiatives <img width="1288" height="837" width_o="1288" height_o="837" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6bae43b8f4143bd68ca6b09fe884777ddfec7c6283760dd9f2a19036e39827ac/initiatives.png" data-mid="225337741" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6bae43b8f4143bd68ca6b09fe884777ddfec7c6283760dd9f2a19036e39827ac/initiatives.png" /> TEK-STEAM Initiative &nbsp;Weaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) for better climate assessment and policy <img width="4689" height="3393" width_o="4689" height_o="3393" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/29ed8242e6188961b398c41e7e46a3ad5d3d93af167f7485e9a0429f083915e8/teksteam_img03.png" data-mid="227195428" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/29ed8242e6188961b398c41e7e46a3ad5d3d93af167f7485e9a0429f083915e8/teksteam_img03.png" />The MIT Resilient Communities Lab (RCL) works on sustainable, long-term solutions for adapting to climate change by understanding and integrating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with other forms of knowledge (STEAM). Across our collaborative networks, we mainstream TEK-STEAM by identifying regional, socio-ecological systems that must be incorporated into climate planning to improve adaptation outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Read more &nbsp;Cities and Climate Change InitiativeDeveloping community-led tools for planning, policy, and finance <img width="9504" height="6336" width_o="9504" height_o="6336" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/911628af4ab5d4f25ee3bd8da5681719bb7cba01c2140fb08d751401ae3a3eff/09_20_23_Exports_217-2.jpg" data-mid="225337757" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/911628af4ab5d4f25ee3bd8da5681719bb7cba01c2140fb08d751401ae3a3eff/09_20_23_Exports_217-2.jpg" /> As climate change reorders the fabric of urban spaces, infrastructure must account for the impacts of heat waves, rising water levels, and extreme weather events. Cities will also need large-scale transformations to accommodate new modes of energy and transportation. To mediate these physical changes, and accompanying social changes,&nbsp; planners need community-led planning and policy tools and financing mechanism that can work across different spatial and temporal scales.&nbsp;Read more Just Energy Transitions&nbsp;InitiativeEnhancing access to renewable energy through community-based organizations <img width="1999" height="1333" width_o="1999" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ceef2b494cc914dd3fb5b290202697c47a67f9a7b68e2643eef7c335cafaec12/image3.jpg" data-mid="225337759" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ceef2b494cc914dd3fb5b290202697c47a67f9a7b68e2643eef7c335cafaec12/image3.jpg" />Broad public access to renewable energy can be enhanced through Community Based Organizations (CBOs) that work to extend the reach of policy. This initiative sheds light on region-specific processes to disseminate solar energy, promotes community co-design for wind energy, and explores how finance and policy can aid resource development in energy, agriculture, forestry and water management. Read more https://rcl.mit.edu/TEK-STEAM Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:46:35 +0000 MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website https://rcl.mit.edu/TEK-STEAM TEK-STEAM InitiativeWeaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) for better climate assessment and policy <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6ddbbbf80a6487c4feabed0aa50a42337e0e0eba8310cd9d6a75a72875d2ee38/IMG_0834.JPG" data-mid="225337773" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6ddbbbf80a6487c4feabed0aa50a42337e0e0eba8310cd9d6a75a72875d2ee38/IMG_0834.JPG" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5ff9dc4299fdacc9735f531019552549329dc6858fc8d6db2a32b574c53bead5/IMG_0870.JPG" data-mid="225337783" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5ff9dc4299fdacc9735f531019552549329dc6858fc8d6db2a32b574c53bead5/IMG_0870.JPG" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/86b3a16dc2b90a144dbf71ce65174923c4124959d38c6fa62272f18bc042d6d2/IMG_0875.JPG" data-mid="225337785" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/86b3a16dc2b90a144dbf71ce65174923c4124959d38c6fa62272f18bc042d6d2/IMG_0875.JPG" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1f4de12ee9ad7d276bcae86a58dec7fea493d84ee5320b76578df9e4fcd8ea3b/IMG_0883.JPG" data-mid="225337788" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1f4de12ee9ad7d276bcae86a58dec7fea493d84ee5320b76578df9e4fcd8ea3b/IMG_0883.JPG" /> The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that traditional knowledge must be included in future sustainability and adaptation planning processes. Bearing this purpose in mind, the MIT Resilient Communities Lab (RCL) works on solutions for climate change adaptation that integrate both Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) from Indigenous peoples, and the knowledge found in&nbsp;Science-Technology-Engineering-Art-Math (STEAM) disciplines. Combining these distinct forms of knowledg will allow societies to develop more effective, grounded approaches to climate assessment and policy. Across our collaborative networks, we aim to mainstream this combination of TEK-STEAM knowledge to drive more equitable and sustainable adaptation outcomes for all, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Goals Weave TEK, STEAM, and other knowledge systems into MIT’s academic curriculum.Build long-term relationships with Indigenous communities while ensuring that all research is accountable to Indigenous communities.&nbsp; Advance the creation of an Indigenous Research Center at MIT that will serve as a dedicated space for Indigenous knowledge that fuses with Western academic disciplines, and acts as a centralized place to reach Indigenous communities. Support Indigenous faculty and students. <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7bc178f04dcd599732b4d93369df45b83ee9d9a89598f85e8a35f0b010a153b5/IMG_0856.JPG" data-mid="225337771" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7bc178f04dcd599732b4d93369df45b83ee9d9a89598f85e8a35f0b010a153b5/IMG_0856.JPG" /> RCL Director Dr. Janelle Knox-Hayes is part of the Indigenous Community Planning Project in DUSP, a multi-disciplinary research and teaching effort that seeks to center Indigeneity within the field of urban planning. Students and faculty engage with Indigenous communities, scholars, leaders, and activists to explore how to address questions of sovereignty, identity, land-use planning, climate adaptation, natural resource development, and historical land-taking&nbsp;The research, curriculum development, and practice activities are undertaken in partnership with Indigenous communities and seek to highlight lessons and practices from Indigenous planning that can be applied more generally.These efforts include pilot projects in rural and urban conservation sites in Massachusetts, with a focus on building connections betwee communities, practitioners, and generations. These projects have strengthened connections with local Indigenous communities in Massachusetts, the MIT SOLVE Indigenous Fellows program, and Indigenous student groups at MIT, as they seek to add Indigenous students, staff, and faculty to the MIT community. The work also offers a model for how to embed equity and justice, harmonize knowledge forms, and empower communities in land use and climate planning. Partners and Funding Partners: Indigenous land and water conservationist Leslie Jonas, North American Indian Center of Boston, GreenRoots, MIT Sea Grant Funding: MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Courses 11.171 (Undergraduate) /&nbsp;11.271 (Graduate) Indigenous Environmental Planning Examines how Indigenous peoples' relationships to their homelands and local environments has been adversely affected by Western planning. Explores how these relationships have changed over time as American Indians, Alaska Natives, and other groups indigenous to North America and Hawai'i have adapted to new conditions, including exclusion from markets of exchange, overhunting/overfishing, dispossession, petrochemical development, conservation, mainstream environmentalism, and climate change. Seeks to understand current environmental challenges and their roots and discover potential solutions to address these challenges.&nbsp; 11.S398 (previously listed as 11.S188 and 11.S953) Indigenous Water and Energy Planning&nbsp;The course Indigenous Water and Energy Planning: Emergent Futures in Scaling Traditional Ecological Knowledgeis&nbsp; reading seminar focused on the critical intersections between Indigenous knowledge systems, water resources management, and environmental justice. Taught by Dr. Janelle Knox-Hayes and MLK Fellow Jean-Luc Pierite, the seminar centers on readings of the genres of Indigenous futurisms that address the basics of Indigenous water and energy planning. Students understand emergent trends in developing traditional ecological knowledge through the lens of these genres, guest lectures, discussions, and case studies. Students propose speculative projects to scale community-based water planning interventions and initiatives to support the sovereignty and self-determination of Indigenous governments. PublicationsKumasaka, Osamu, Robin Bronen, Elise Harrington, Janelle Knox-Hayes, Shirley Laska, Albert Naquin, Andy Patrick, Kristina Peterson, and Stanislaus Tom. (2021) "Planning for resettlement: Building partnerships for, by, and with Indigenous peoples." GeoJournal: 1-21. (link) Related Projects&nbsp; <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7bc178f04dcd599732b4d93369df45b83ee9d9a89598f85e8a35f0b010a153b5/IMG_0856.JPG" data-mid="225337771" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7bc178f04dcd599732b4d93369df45b83ee9d9a89598f85e8a35f0b010a153b5/IMG_0856.JPG" /> Sustainable Solutions for Climate Adaptation: Weaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) &amp; STEAM <img width="4800" height="3332" width_o="4800" height_o="3332" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f15bdc9f0a1884283cad3d93e3b484e9080565c6405e8aeebccd95ded71b7955/0_aerialIdJC.jpg" data-mid="225337790" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f15bdc9f0a1884283cad3d93e3b484e9080565c6405e8aeebccd95ded71b7955/0_aerialIdJC.jpg" /> Moving Together: Planned Resettlement https://rcl.mit.edu/Cities-and-Climate-Change Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:46:36 +0000 MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website https://rcl.mit.edu/Cities-and-Climate-Change Cities and Climate Change InitiativeDeveloping community-led tools for planning, policy, and finance <img width="9504" height="6336" width_o="9504" height_o="6336" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/911628af4ab5d4f25ee3bd8da5681719bb7cba01c2140fb08d751401ae3a3eff/09_20_23_Exports_217-2.jpg" data-mid="227196336" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/911628af4ab5d4f25ee3bd8da5681719bb7cba01c2140fb08d751401ae3a3eff/09_20_23_Exports_217-2.jpg" /> As climate change reorders the fabric of urban spaces, infrastructure must account for the impacts of heat waves, rising water levels, and extreme weather events. Cities will also need large-scale transformation to accommodate new modes of energy and transportation. To mediate these physical changes, and accompanying social changes,&nbsp;planners need community-led planning and policy tools and financing mechanism that can work across different spatial and temporal scales.This initiative seeks to:Develop frameworks for more inclusive and equitable adaptation planning.Activate policy and financial vehicles that direct investment to at-risk areas.Assess how global cities are responding to climate challenges, including through the use of community-led planning approaches, and propose methods to better&nbsp;accommodate a range of social values and needs.Assist local governments to enact technologies and institutions (including financing mechanisms) that operate flexibly at different spatial and temporal scales.Better integrate critical infrastructural projects (e.g. sea walls, mobile buildings, micro-grids) into holistic planning, while balancing social, ecological, and economic systems. <img width="9504" height="6336" width_o="9504" height_o="6336" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fbd05fbf1f1e29a7cd52e2e8bec08669a4ec46de7f562eea85504a88ccb6b2dd/cities_climatechange_img02.jpg" data-mid="227196328" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fbd05fbf1f1e29a7cd52e2e8bec08669a4ec46de7f562eea85504a88ccb6b2dd/cities_climatechange_img02.jpg" /> Projects under this initiative include analyzing how socio-economic values shape development and reception of planning responses to climate change in cities such as Boston and New York. RCL works with city governments to analyze and develop policies that can better accommodate the local, context-specific physical needs of climate adaptation while maintaining social inclusion and equity. In sites around Massachusetts, we have worked with policymakers, planners, and communities to design adaptation strategies that are grounded in values, operate over long-time horizons, and integrate social, ecological, and economic considerations. &nbsp; <img width="9504" height="6336" width_o="9504" height_o="6336" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/296f7a1fba0a34dea3a72c7c49f57f0e2c065080dfb766a029a8014ef8e074fc/cities_climatechange_img03.jpg" data-mid="227196327" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/296f7a1fba0a34dea3a72c7c49f57f0e2c065080dfb766a029a8014ef8e074fc/cities_climatechange_img03.jpg" /> Courses 11.373J DUSP Students / 12.385 Undergraduate / 12.885J Graduate Science, Politics and Environmental Policy Examines the role of science in US and international environmental policymaking. Surveys the methods by which scientists learn about the natural world; the treatment of science by experts, advocates, the media, and the public and the way science is used in legislative, administrative and judicial decision making. Through lectures, group discussions, and written essays, students develop a critical understanding of the role of science in environmental policy. Potential case studies include fisheries management, ozone depletion, global warming, smog, and endangered species. Students taking the graduate version complete different assignments. 11.170 Undergraduate / 11.270 Graduate Cities and Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation Examines climate adaptation and mitigation responses at the city level. Discusses factors of greatest concern in adapting cities to climate change, including infrastructure; energy, food, and water systems; health; housing; and environmental justice. Various city and regional cases are used to analyze how cities are mobilizing to face climate change and integrate core considerations into urban planning. Working on independent case studies, students analyze how cities make urban planning decisions with respect to climate adaptation. In the process, students practice analytical skills to better understand how urban policies are made, and how they can be improved. Students develop recommendations for making climate adaptation more effective and sustainable at the city level.&nbsp; 11.169 Undergraduate / 11.269 Graduate Global Climate Policy and Sustainability Examines climate politics both nationally and globally. Addresses economic growth, environmental preservation, and social equity through the lens of sustainability. Uses various country and regional cases to analyze how sociopolitical, economic and environmental values shape climate policy. Students develop recommendations for making climate policy more effective and sustainable.11.387 Graduate Environmental Finance and Political Economy Examines the sociopolitical, cultural and economic dimensions of the financialization of environmental goods and services. Provides an introduction to key financial terms, practices, and institutions; analyzes the logics and origins of environmental finance, as well as the operation and implications of particular systems such as carbon-trading, REDD and ecosystem service pricing and swapping. Past Courses: DUSP 11.S951: Topics in Finance and Sustainability DUSP 11.J004: People and the Planet: Environmental Histories and Engineering Publications BooksKnox-Hayes J. and D. Wójcik. (2021) Editors. The Routledge Handbook of Financial Geography. Routledge, New York.Knox-Hayes, J. (2016) The Cultures of Markets: The Political Economy of Climate Governance. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Reports “Equitable Resilience Framework” (Click here to download) “Designing a Climate Community Collaborative,” Greater Boston Area (2024) (Click here to download) ArticlesBassens, D., Knox-Hayes, J., Lai, K., Pan, F., &amp; Wójcik, D. (2024). Finance in the age of geoeconomics: intersections of finance, production, and digital technology. Finance and Space, 1(1), 542-555. (link)Wójcik, D.; Bassens, D., J Knox-Hayes &amp; Karen P. Y. Lai. (2024). “Revolution, evolution, progress: Finance &amp; Space manifesto.” Finance and Space, 1:1, 1-12. (link) Knox-Hayes, J., Osario, J.C, Stamler, N., Dombrov, M., Winer, R., Smith, M.H. Rosenzweig, C. and Reggie Blake. (2023). “The Compound Risk of Heat and COVID-19 in New York City: Riskscapes, Physical and Social Factors, and Interventions.” Local Environment. (link)Knox-Hayes, J. (2022). “Built Up: Examining the origins and pathways of urban development.” in Symposium – Built Up: An Historical Perspective on the Contemporary Principles and Practices of Real Estate Development, by Patrice Derrington. London: Routledge (2021). Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space. April 2022. (link) Knox-Hayes, J. (2022) “Combating climate change: Dismantling the spatial and temporal assumptions of the core and periphery.” Geographical Research. April 2022. (link)Knox-Hayes J., Chandra, S. and J. Chun. (2020) “Conceptualizing sustainable development from the standpoint of values: the case of Iceland.” Sustainable Development. 1-15. (link) Davies, A.R., Hooks, G. Knox-Hayes, J. and R. Liévanos. (2020) “Riskscapes and the Socio- Spatial Challenges of Climate Change.” Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. (link) Related Projects&nbsp; <img width="1480" height="833" width_o="1480" height_o="833" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b8bae04c161cfb4d575ff32428d710af300754b8f4e9216ddd666bfcae175aa1/boston---flooding.jpg" data-mid="227198013" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b8bae04c161cfb4d575ff32428d710af300754b8f4e9216ddd666bfcae175aa1/boston---flooding.jpg" /> Equitable Resilience Framework <img width="9504" height="6336" width_o="9504" height_o="6336" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bd8fb6685c48e3a66f3c7cd56c21cdb76ddb760ab111fc4a57d908dbb602b117/09_20_23_Exports_129.jpg" data-mid="227198016" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bd8fb6685c48e3a66f3c7cd56c21cdb76ddb760ab111fc4a57d908dbb602b117/09_20_23_Exports_129.jpg" /> Climate Community Collaborative Symposium https://rcl.mit.edu/Just-Energy-Transitions Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:46:37 +0000 MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website https://rcl.mit.edu/Just-Energy-Transitions Just Energy Transitions InitiativeEnhancing access to renewable energy through community-based organizations and innovative forms of public participation <img width="1999" height="1333" width_o="1999" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5d0e09410b69d5fef05bf97d38ea2909024a006328726be3f0394df52d22c29b/image3.jpg" data-mid="227197079" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5d0e09410b69d5fef05bf97d38ea2909024a006328726be3f0394df52d22c29b/image3.jpg" /> This initiative originates in RCL’s work on community access to renewable energy, and how this can be mediated and enhanced through the work of Community Based Organizations (CBOs). Recognizing that CBOs extend the reach of policy across different scales, RCL is exploring how these organizations operate under different social, political and economic conditions. This research sheds light on region-specific processes that can enhance dissemination of solar energy across the country, especially as new sources of funding are opened through federal infrastructure initiatives. <img width="612" height="792" width_o="612" height_o="792" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bdd624e15023a2043d34dc60da31b3209de249deaba13ac108825836094ab0b1/justenergy_img01.jpg" data-mid="227197361" border="0" data-scale="56" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/612/i/bdd624e15023a2043d34dc60da31b3209de249deaba13ac108825836094ab0b1/justenergy_img01.jpg" /> Other projects in the Just Energy Transitions initiative include: Understanding how technological innovation can be coupled with community co-design to make more efficient and effective the development and implementation of off-shore wind integrated with storage. (Partners: Professor Don Sadoway / MIT, Eric Loth / University of Virginia)Developing a multi-disciplinary Science and Technology Center dedicated to transforming energy engineering research, teaching, and practice to integrate considerations of community values and needs for more effective and equitable energy transitions. Understanding how finance and policy for resource development (energy, agriculture, forestry and water) can operate more effectively using an integrated systems approach. (Partners: MIT Portugal Program, MIT Climate Consortium)FundingThe report “US Community-Based Organizations and Their Relationship to Solar Energy Development” is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Award Number DE-EE0009360. PublicationsChun, J., Ortiz, D., Jin, B., Hart, S., Kulkarni, N., and Knox-Hayes, J. (2025) “Energy Burden in the United States: an Analysis Using Decision Trees.” Energies. (link)Knox-Hayes, J., Chun, J. Gowda, S., Karmakar, I., and Winer, R. (2023) “The geographies, typologies, and trends of community-based organizations for solar energy in the United States.” Energy Research and Social Science. 2023 Dec 1. (link)Aziz, M. J., Gayme, D., Hogan W., Johnson K., Knox-Hayes, J., Li P. Loth E., Pao L., Sadoway D., Smith J., and J. Trancik. (2022). “Socio-Technical-Economic Co-Design of Wind Knox-Hayes 3 Energy Integrated with Storage: Needs, Challenges, and Future Pathways.” Joule, 6(9): 1995-2015. (link)Ortiz, D., Migueis, V., Leal, V., Knox-Hayes, J., &amp; Chun, J. (2022) “Analysis of Renewable Energy Policies through Decision Trees.” Sustainability, 14(13), 7720. (link)In, S. Y., Monk, A. H., &amp; Knox-Hayes, J. (2020) “Financing Energy Innovation: The Need for New Intermediaries in Clean Energy.” Sustainability, 12(24), 10440. (link) Related Projects&nbsp; <img width="1999" height="1333" width_o="1999" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5d0e09410b69d5fef05bf97d38ea2909024a006328726be3f0394df52d22c29b/image3.jpg" data-mid="227197079" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5d0e09410b69d5fef05bf97d38ea2909024a006328726be3f0394df52d22c29b/image3.jpg" />Offshore-Wind Energy Design Toolkit <img width="612" height="385" width_o="612" height_o="385" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ddaab53e6e5c6f6df0aa77ccc2caa1b422764b84f0a5a2510093f64eea872fcf/justenergy_img02.jpg" data-mid="227199171" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/612/i/ddaab53e6e5c6f6df0aa77ccc2caa1b422764b84f0a5a2510093f64eea872fcf/justenergy_img02.jpg" /> Community-Based Organizations and Solar Energy https://rcl.mit.edu/Equitable-Resilience-Framework Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:46:40 +0000 MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website https://rcl.mit.edu/Equitable-Resilience-Framework Equitable Resilience Framework Climate will disrupt the fundamental conditions that human societies depend on to thrive. Its impacts will also be profoundly unequal. While some individuals and communities will have the resources to adapt to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, others will find their homes becoming uninhabitable, their livelihoods vanishing, and their health and security threatened by a changing climate. Underserved and low-income neighborhoods lack infrastructure to protect residents from hazards like excessive heat and floods.&nbsp;Indigenous peoples face an existential threat—their survival is dependent on a rapidly changing ecosystem. Climate policy needs to change. The history of social engineering projects shows that top-down climate solutions fail vulnerable communities. The Equitable Resilience Framework (ERF) is a toolkit for policymakers for community-led planning, decision-making, and communication. The ERF's outcomes are solutions that are fair and equitable, increase climate resilience, address basic human needs, and lead to long-term structural change. Developed in collaboration with specific communities in the greater Boston region, the ERF combines a capabilities approach with enhanced tradeoff analysis and knowledge convergence to bring community, academic, industry, and policy stakeholders together in generating and implementing resilience solutions. The ERF addresses the technocratic shortcomings that have historically guided resilience projects. By reconceptualizing the linkages between resilience and equity in communities, the ERF gives researchers and practitioners better theoretical and practical tools for applying resilience to interconnected social systems across different timescales. The ERF facilitates just solutions while empowering communities often overburdened by environmental injustice and climate change impacts. <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/46ec0a8902aeb207306528ee443f6c27320c2c00658774e4bdd1054fe530c508/IMG_1897.jpg" data-mid="225337942" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/46ec0a8902aeb207306528ee443f6c27320c2c00658774e4bdd1054fe530c508/IMG_1897.jpg" /> <img width="2048" height="1199" width_o="2048" height_o="1199" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/18738c3020449ea7a36dea0f80ba7a093e071d57bfab7678092b4db93aaf808c/1685031314352.jpeg" data-mid="225337950" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/18738c3020449ea7a36dea0f80ba7a093e071d57bfab7678092b4db93aaf808c/1685031314352.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/40d7b20e0832b42c4476f0a990fa50b7f270e7301b5acb2c21472ee4788fb2be/WhatsApp-Image-2023-09-20-at-7.34.05-AM.jpeg" data-mid="225337945" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/40d7b20e0832b42c4476f0a990fa50b7f270e7301b5acb2c21472ee4788fb2be/WhatsApp-Image-2023-09-20-at-7.34.05-AM.jpeg" /> <img width="768" height="1024" width_o="768" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fcd2d80e08d0690f4af58b797e82cdd2c8598b8d60418af0c25487c35676ba0e/WhatsApp-Image-2023-09-20-at-7.34.30-AM-1.jpeg" data-mid="225337960" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/fcd2d80e08d0690f4af58b797e82cdd2c8598b8d60418af0c25487c35676ba0e/WhatsApp-Image-2023-09-20-at-7.34.30-AM-1.jpeg" /> <img width="2048" height="1199" width_o="2048" height_o="1199" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cb1baea23bde82db3d45b1368bbd1b7d35f250cc648141ef8eb44f58d35537d5/1685031314352.jpeg" data-mid="225337963" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cb1baea23bde82db3d45b1368bbd1b7d35f250cc648141ef8eb44f58d35537d5/1685031314352.jpeg" /> <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/00153581f81c9adbe58ee13e88920f5783803995550b7e713852bd84a549a3ee/IMG_1897.jpg" data-mid="225337965" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/00153581f81c9adbe58ee13e88920f5783803995550b7e713852bd84a549a3ee/IMG_1897.jpg" /> Images from ERF workshops ERF pillars Capabilities Approach: Rather than look to simplistic economic measures, like income, consider a more holistic understanding of human flourishing through the development of human capabilities (such as life, health, mobility, education). Local communities determine which capabilities to prioritize. Policy is designed with regard for local infrastructure, culture, and values. Modified Trade-Off Analysis: Integrates strategies for problem formulation, stakeholder and power analyses, consensus building, and multi-criteria analysis to arrive at transparent, equitable, and effective solutions. Knowledge Convergence: Increases knowledge among local communities, governments, and scientists using transmedia communication, data visualizations, artistic interventions, and community science and data integration. Public communication about climate science uses multiple channels, and diverse sources of knowledge (including Traditional Ecological Knowledge) are recognized. <img width="3094" height="1500" width_o="3094" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5a007feeb5c50969c83e4382ccf9a5c1fb8f24f07bfc3b135909684ad75b8b36/Coastal-Resilience-Graphic-Facilitation.png" data-mid="225337968" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5a007feeb5c50969c83e4382ccf9a5c1fb8f24f07bfc3b135909684ad75b8b36/Coastal-Resilience-Graphic-Facilitation.png" /> Publications “Equitable Resilience Framework” (Click here to download) https://rcl.mit.edu/CBOs-and-Solar Tue, 25 Feb 2025 15:11:07 +0000 MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website https://rcl.mit.edu/CBOs-and-Solar Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Solar Energy MIT and the Clean Energy States Alliance are working with state and nonprofit partners to understand and improve how state energy agencies and community-based organizations collaborate on solar. Learn more about the Solar with Justice collaboration: https://www.cesa.org/projects/solar-with-justice Report <img width="612" height="792" width_o="612" height_o="792" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bdd624e15023a2043d34dc60da31b3209de249deaba13ac108825836094ab0b1/justenergy_img01.jpg" data-mid="227198727" border="0" data-scale="40" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/612/i/bdd624e15023a2043d34dc60da31b3209de249deaba13ac108825836094ab0b1/justenergy_img01.jpg" /> RCL developed a report based on a national survey of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) engaged or interested in solar development in low- and moderate-income communities, entitled “US Community-Based Organizations and Their Relationship to Solar Energy Development.” The report focuses on the characteristics of CBOs that do work related to solar, including their size, location, organization tenure, funding, and the focuses of their work. Download the report here. Additional insights are presented in a companion report “Understanding the Relationships and Solar Experiences of US Community-Based Organizations” available here. Watch a video on “Perspectives on Solar with Justice: A Report on US CBOs and Solar Energy with Dr. Janelle Knox-Hayes” Information from the reports is further summarized by CESA here: &nbsp;“Key Findings from Two Reports on US Community-Based Organizations and Solar Energy” collects some of the most important and interesting findings from the two longer reports.“Regional Summaries: US Community-Based Organizations and Their Relationship to Solar Energy Development” presents two-page profiles of the CBOs in four regions: the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and West. WebinarWatch a webinar on the project where&nbsp;CESA Executive Director Warren Leon, MIT lead researcher Janelle Knox-Hayes, and Project Manager Bayo Ware on the Renewables Team at the Energy Trust of Oregon, discuss the project’s findings and lessons for how to structure effective collaboration going forward. Funding This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Award Number DE-EE0009360. https://rcl.mit.edu/Offshore-Wind-Energy-Co-Design-Toolkit Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:46:44 +0000 MIT Resilient Communities Lab - Global Website https://rcl.mit.edu/Offshore-Wind-Energy-Co-Design-Toolkit Offshore Wind Energy Co-Design Toolkit <img width="1999" height="1333" width_o="1999" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5d0e09410b69d5fef05bf97d38ea2909024a006328726be3f0394df52d22c29b/image3.jpg" data-mid="225338035" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5d0e09410b69d5fef05bf97d38ea2909024a006328726be3f0394df52d22c29b/image3.jpg" /> The Offshore Wind Energy Co-Design Toolkit for Frontline Communities project is a collaboration involving the Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), the University of Virginia (UVA), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and community partners: The Shinnecock Nation, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Coastal Virginia (HCCCVA). This toolkit offers a set of resources to improve the process of site planning by engaging with frontline communities. The use of community co-design can provide long-term societal benefits for stakeholders, while improving the efficiency and effectiveness of outcomes. Developers gain insights on what a project that addresses the needs of all stakeholders might look like, along with strategies to support their engagement processes. Social, technical, economic, and political aspects of site planning are considered. Publications: “A co-design framework for wind energy integrated with storage“ (Aziz et al. 2022)&nbsp;Joule (link)“3 Questions: Janelle Knox-Hayes on producing renewable energy that communities want” MITEI (link)