Sustainable and Resilient Communities

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goal

Empower Long Island Sound communities to plan for and respond to environmental challenges in ways that prioritize well-being for all. 

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The coastal communities along Long Island Sound in Connecticut and New York are home to over four million people. Local decisions about land use and development, along with environmental changes, directly impact the health of the Sound and its surrounding areas. This, in turn, affects the economy and overall quality of life for these communities. This goal is essential for helping these areas become more resilient. It focuses on empowering local communities to plan and respond to environmental challenges in ways that support the well-being of everyone. 

Communities along Long Island Sound are already facing challenges from extreme weather, like flooding from heavy rainfall, stronger storms, and rising sea levels. Other impacts include increased water pollution, erosion that harms habitats, and shifts in species that disrupt ecosystems. These issues are difficult and expensive to manage because they affect people, infrastructure, and the environment. 

In a report called A Regional Needs Assessment to Help Build a Sustainable and Resilient Long Island Sound, local communities highlighted several challenges to becoming more sustainable and resilient. These include a lack of resources and technical expertise to move projects forward, poor coordination between different levels of government, limited community support, and difficulty accessing project funding. 

The objectives under this goal focus on three key areas: building the ability of decision-makers to take action, supporting resilience planning that reflects the priorities of local communities, and encouraging projects that help communities adapt to flooding and other environmental impacts. 

Objectives