Planning Framework for a Climate-Resilient Economy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Rhode Island Division of Planning developed this framework to help communities assess their economic vulnerability to climate change. A pilot community—North Kingstown, Rhode Island—tested and refined the framework, and the University of Rhode Island's Coastal Resources Center assisted in this effort. 

The framework consists of five basic steps that can be adapted by communities anywhere in the country to cover small or large geographic areas and their economies. The framework can help communities ask the right questions to recognize their economic vulnerabilities and identify ways to be more climate resilient, with a focus on helping the business community prepare for and adapt to projected changes and think creatively about ways to prosper in a changing climate.