Browsing by Subject "Local government"

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    Green Stormwater Infrastructure Code Audits: Updating Local Regulatory Structures for a Changing Climate
    (2024-03) Carlson, Jessy R; Hinds, Juli Beth; Rodman, Madison G; Sprague, Tiffany A
    The impacts of climate change, such as increasingly intense storms and more frequent floods, mean regulatory frameworks designed to manage stormwater runoff in previous decades may no longer be effective; codes and ordinances may inadvertently prohibit or inhibit the use of nature-based approaches to managing stormwater runoff. To adapt to current and projected climate change scenarios, local governments need updated regulatory frameworks that effectively manage stormwater runoff in a changed climate. Adapting local regulations to promote systematic use of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and other nature-based solutions is a key strategy that can contribute to the development of resilient, climate-adapted communities. We worked with ten urban and rural municipalities across the Duluth area to conduct code audits and assist with designing and accomplishing community-specific GSI objectives, and we are currently expanding this project to include Lake and Cook Counties. These participating communities display a diverse array of geographical and demographic characteristics. However, after working with these communities’ technical staff and elected representatives to assess their regulatory structures and internal policies for areas that could be updated to prepare for increased heavy precipitation events, we have noted some important themes regarding needs, challenges, and opportunities that cut across the region. This poster will share what we are hearing from these communities and whether these themes point to emerging climate adaptation needs in Northeast Minnesota.
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    Planning for cycling in local government: Insights from national surveys in Australia and New Zealand
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2022) Babb, Courtney; McLeod, Sam; Noone, Conor
    Despite a broad consensus that cycling can address a range of transportation issues, many countries have struggled to institute measures to increase cycling participation. Even for cities that have achieved marked progress, there remains a gap in making cycling a truly normative mode of transportation. The practical problem of translating research and converting policy vision into broad-based cycling participation has become an increasingly central focus of international cycling scholarship. To examine the challenges of practically planning for cycling, we focus on the role of local government and report on a survey of all urban and major regional local governments in Australia and New Zealand. By analyzing results across the two countries, we diagnose challenges faced by practitioners in implementing measures to support cycling. Key findings suggest there is support among local government officers and stakeholders for cycling to play an increased role in daily transportation, yet this support is much more mixed at the implementation stage of cycling plans, policies, and infrastructure projects. These findings indicate a pressing need to better equip local government practitioners with tools and knowledge to overcome barriers to providing for cycling, particularly in increasingly politicized and complex contexts.