Climate Change: Legal, Insurance & Contracting Practices-Climate Change and the Built Environment

Climate Change and the Built Environment - PDF Download

Pdf Summary

The publication "Climate Change and the Built Environment," edited by Patricia B. Gary and Lisa L. Churchill, addresses the intersection of climate change impacts and infrastructure, providing in-depth analysis and guidance for design professionals, legal considerations, and case studies.<br /><br />Part I covers planning for climate risks, including the historical overview of climate change, mitigation and adaptation strategies, legal trends, and regulatory roles, emphasizing the urgency to incorporate climate resilience into design and construction. It details how greenhouse gas emissions have accelerated climate change, highlighting the relevance of evolving standards of care and expanding responsibility for design professionals. The section stresses the ethical imperative to act and the significance of integrating climate science into all aspects of infrastructure planning.<br /><br />Part II examines legal issues, discussing climate change lawsuits, governmental roles, contracting practices, risk management, and insurance industry's evolving trends. It reveals growing litigation concerning design professionals’ liability for failing to adapt to climate risks, the complexities of contract negotiations in projects with sustainability goals, and the insurance sector’s challenges in pricing climate-related risks. The role of governance and regulatory frameworks in enabling adaptive climate strategies is explored, pointing to incremental and transformational approaches, including adaptation-supportive watershed governance.<br /><br />Part III shares professional practice experience through resilience-focused infrastructure planning at the Colorado Department of Transportation, the language of urgency in design emphasizing health and well-being, climate-adaptive stormwater management via living systems, and integrating sustainability and resilience for holistic infrastructure outcomes.<br /><br />Part IV provides case studies including the Whitney Museum’s floodproofing after Superstorm Sandy, Colorado’s Big Thompson Canyon post-flood recovery, Boston’s North End waterfront resiliency efforts, Lake Delton’s catastrophic drainage and recovery, and asset management in the face of climate change.<br /><br />The book highlights that addressing climate change in the built environment demands multidisciplinary collaboration, innovative design strategies balancing mitigation and adaptation, informed legal frameworks, responsible governance, and proactive risk management, all underpinned by ethical leadership and urgency to protect communities now and for future generations.

Keywords

Climate Change

Built Environment

Infrastructure Planning

Design Professionals

Legal Issues

Climate Resilience

Adaptation Strategies

Risk Management

Sustainability

Case Studies