Calibrating Coastal Resilience presents a conceptual reimagining of place in the era of climate change. The terroir framework introduced by the authors offers a holistic, data-driven approach to assessing vulnerabilities in the built environment. Inspired by the hyper-local relationships between humans, cultural traditions, and urban and natural contexts, the authors develop a place-based, historically sympathetic methodology for guiding climate-related urban policies, designs, and actions in coastal areas. Coastal communities have been among the first to experience the devastating consequences of the climate crisis. Using case studies from South Florida, the book illustrates the unique climate risks for this region, including flooding, hurricane, and sea-level rise scenarios, with a focus on the preservation of historic neighborhoods and buildings and reinforcement of built structures.

Drawing from the authors’ extensive experience in community planning and historic preservation in cities severely affected by the impacts of climate change, this book introduces novel, practical methods for identifying and aligning preservation goals with resilience needs, including flood hazard models, survey instruments, a cultural asset benchmarking system, communication strategies, community toolkits, as well as a discussion of innovative governance structures that support resilience objectives. Refined through real-life application and the experience of Southeast Florida preparing and responding for climate change, these techniques are highly-specialized yet designed for ease of implementation.

A valuable resource for professionals and students of architecture, urban planning, historic preservation, and local government, Calibrating Coastal Resilience offers communities clear guidelines and actionable steps toward creating place-based resilience planning strategies to safeguard the natural and built landscapes of their region.