Clients: Educational Institutions
The Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool (The RAFT)
The Goal of The Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool (The RAFT)
To help Virginia’s coastal localities improve resilience to flooding and other coastal storm hazards while remaining economically and socially viable.
What is The RAFT?
The RAFT is a “full service” tool to assist coastal localities to increase their resilience. Coastal resilience is the capacity to anticipate threats, reduce the community’s vulnerability, repond to, and recover from hazardous events and chronic stresses. A community can be vulnerable not only due to their physical location and... Continue reading →
Categorized as: Current, Dialogue, Public Participation, Research, Land, People & Communities, Water, Educational Institutions,Local Government,
Community Relocation in the Face of Recurring Inundation: A Preliminary Framework
The resilience of Virginia's coastal cities, towns, and villages is threated by sinking ground (subsidence), increased rainfall intensity, storm surges and rising seas. The flood records are clear: more flooding is occuring now than ever before and more flooding is expected in coming years. These hazards directly affect regional economy, public health and social coherence. Coastal communities in Virginia are experiencing high risk areas prone to repeated flooding, some of which are projected over time to... Continue reading →
Categorized as: 2010s, Dialogue, Public Participation, Land, People & Communities, Water, Educational Institutions,
Autonomous Vehicles
The City of Charlottesville, the University of Virginia, and Perrone Robotics have partnered to consider how autonomous vehicles might impact the Charlottesville community in the near and long-term future. As part of this project, IEN facilitated a focus group with local elderly residents to explore their questions and concerns regarding autonomous vehicles, as well as ways in which this technology might be helpful to them. Dr. Cody Fleming from the University's School of Engineering joined the facilitators to present to the group on autonomous vehicle technology and the questions... Continue reading →
Categorized as: 2010s, Dialogue, Public Participation, Land, People & Communities, Business and Industry,Educational Institutions,
Sustainable Food Strategy Task Force
Photos courtesy of Stacey Evans (left) and Nina Morris (right).
The IEN is working with the Sustainable Food Strategy task force to implement the University of Virginia's Sustainability Plan (2016-2020) goals relating to food. Now entering its second year of work, the task force is chaired by Andrea Trimble, Sustainability Director, and facilitated by Tanya Denckla Cobb, Director of IEN, and includes a broad array of representatives concerned and interested in food and its impacts:... Continue reading →
Categorized as: Current, Consensus Building, Dialogue, Health & Food, Educational Institutions,
Memorial to Enslaved Laborers
At the September 2016 meeting of the Board of Visitors, the design team of Höweler + Yoon, Mabel Wilson, Gregg Bleam and Associates, and IEN's Frank Dukes was approved to design the Memorial for Enslaved Workers at the University of Virginia. The design of a new memorial marks a critical moment to address the complex history of the University and of the country, and affirms UVA’s role as a leader in the national conversation about race, history and institutions.
As a World Heritage Site and a cherished American landmark, UVA’s grounds require an... Continue reading →
Categorized as: Current, Dialogue, Public Participation, People & Communities, Educational Institutions,
2015-2016 Strategic Planning
IEN was asked to design and facilitate five strategic planning efforts in 2015-2016. We designed and facilitated meetings for the Albemarle Solid Waste Authority to enable its advisory committee to consider a range of options and reach consensus recommendations for the fate of the Ivy Landfill Transfer Station, for consideration by the Board of Supervisors.
We designed and facilitated meetings for the U.Va. Sustainability Office to bring its staff together... Continue reading →
Categorized as: 2010s, Strategic Planning, Land, People & Communities, Water, Educational Institutions,Local Government,Nonprofit Organizations,
Campbell County Route 29 Corridor Planning Effort
The Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC), located at U.Va., initiated a pilot project with Campbell County to test a Federal Highways collaborative planning framework, known as PlanWorks. The project's focus is a busy 6.6-mile stretch of Route 29 on the south side of Lynchburg, beginning at the southern city limit and extending to Colonial Highway (Route 24).
This stretch of highway hosts multiple mixed uses and needs for residential, business, and large institutional access. IEN is... Continue reading →
Categorized as: 2010s, Dialogue, Public Participation, Land, People & Communities, Educational Institutions,State Government,
Frostburg State University: Sustaining Campus and Community
(2012 - 2014) Frostburg State University’s “Sustaining Campus and Community” dialogue series began its second year in the spring of 2012. The goal of these sessions it to help the community of Frostburg, Maryland strengthen neighborhood relationships and foster a nonviolent, civil culture. The dialogue sessions convene students, year-round residents, local officials, and University leaders to discuss issues and create new opportunities for collaborative problem-solving and coalition-building in Frostburg. Dr. Frank Dukes of the IEN, Dr. Marvin Johnson, founder and executive director of the... Continue reading →
Categorized as: 2010s, Consensus Building, Dialogue, People & Communities, Educational Institutions,
Community Decisions for Watershed Planning
(2007 - 2011)
Watershed nutrient imbalances pose risks to water quality. Improved decision aids and processes could reduce costs of achieving water quality protection goals by aiding watershed stakeholders in evaluating nutrient management strategies. The proposed project integrated research, extension, and education missions to develop and test a group decision aid, Community DECISIONS, with which watershed stakeholders can rank strategies to address imbalances of nutrient imports and exports. Project objectives were to: 1) develop the Community DECISIONS group decision aid; 2) apply and... Continue reading →
Categorized as: 2010s, Research, Public Participation, Water, Land, Educational Institutions,
Curriculum Facilitation
(2011) IEN designed and facilitated a curriculum workshop at Virginia Tech. We worked with the co-Program Directors to develop an agenda that will address participant issues, and developing a synthesis of the workshop results and follow-up actions. The first workshop will identified key learning objectives, ways to enhance student outcomes, and resources needed and available. The second workshop gave give these concepts “legs” by translating them into a functional, skeletal curriculum.
Categorized as: 2010s, Strategic Planning, People & Communities, Educational Institutions,