Resiliency & Climate Response Meeting

Please join us for our April meeting.

AGENDA

TRACKING ISSUES

• Short report topics:
  • AIA Resilience Design Toolkit summary (Lauren lead; members familiarize in advance)
    • group discussion:  Which parts of the toolkit do we practice? How to integrate frameworks for resilience into our practice?

PRIORITY ITEMS

• • Bird Friendly Design
    • Collaboration with Travis Audubon:
      • Sign Bird Friendly Design Ordinance petition here
      • Dark Sky Week Proclamation, CM Duchen’s office:
        • We sent the following blurb to Audubon detailing why AIA is in support of Dark Sky: The AIA Austin Resiliency Advocacy Committee supports dark sky initiatives in Austin to reduce light pollution, protect ecological systems, and preserve access to natural night skies as a shared cultural and environmental resource. These efforts also align with AIA priorities around energy efficiency, human health, and responsible design that minimizes unnecessary artificial lighting in the built environment.  
    • Bird Friendly Design Ordinance – long term, waiting for movement from staff

• AEGB Input Cycle opens May 01-June 01 link here

• • Need to put together a short-term working group for this
• Specific & current Water related items to support
  • Request guidance on steps to take from Watershed (Matt Hollon)
    • Detailed Flood Depth Information 
    • Unstable Slope Requirements 
    • Greenfield Standard for Drainage for Redevelopment Projects

ROUND TABLES

• 04/27 – Water RT #1
  • (working title) Water Resilience: Models and Lessons – UT Water Hub & Austin programs
  • Speakers: Jim Walker, Daryl Slusher, Sharlene Leurig

CROSS-ADVOCACY COLLABORATION

• • Housing
    • Promote ACU to integrate small scale distributed retail/commercial 

• “Ten-minute Walkability”

• • Green Social Housing resolution being considered (CM Siegel)
• Mobility
  • Barton Springs Rd. Bridge resolution 
  • Street shade (trees)at  I-35 cap and stitch and corridors

ONGOING

• Identify Water Forward / One Water items to support
  • Water Forward cycle begins end of 2027, aligns with state water plan cycle
  • Dual plumbing, purple pipe
  • Incentivize GSI: swales and berms for infiltration
  • Propose funding mechanisms for affordable projects
  • Model on passive house affordable incentive program in 2025
  • San Marcos best practices: low cost natural infrastructure, solidified into procurement policy
• Mini conference: Water + AEC 
  • Push needle on issue education, prioritization, and action
  • How to use the allocated AIA budget – bring in speakers etc.
  • Target: Fall/Winter
  • Task group: Caroline, Lauren, others 
• Tracking items:
  • Green Infrastructure in ROW – draft support letter (Lauren)
  • Resilience stations / programming 
    • Outreach to projects with resilience program element
      • Foundation Communities, maybe others
    • Look for opportunities to collaborate on resilience station points
      • ARN partnership and collab (Natalie Lyell)

Download the agenda here

The Resiliency & Climate Response committee helps mitigate, adapt, and prepare for the ongoing and future impacts of climate change. We strive to identify practical solutions, build awareness, educate, and advocate for urgency in climate resilience activities.

We typically meet the third Thursday of the month at 10:30 a.m. Join our email list to hear about upcoming events.