Official State of Rhode Island website

State of Rhode Island Division of Statewide Planning Rhode Island's Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)

Resilience Technical Assistance

The impacts of climate change upon Rhode Island’s built and natural environments are wide-ranging, discernible, documented, and, in many cases growing in severity. Rhode Island will experience warmer air and water temperatures, more extreme weather events such as droughts, intense precipitation, severe storms and flooding, increasing rates of sea level rise, shorter winters and longer summers, and less snowfall and ice coverage. Climate change has the potential to pose significant risks for Rhode Island’s water, wastewater, surface transportation, and energy infrastructures and utilities, our natural environment, and our health, welfare, and economic well-being.  RIDSP is committed to providing technical assistance to municipalities to help plan for these future impacts. 

RIDSP Resilience Technical Assistance Program: “Building Community Resilience through Local Regulations”

  • The Rhode Island Division of Statewide Planning (RIDSP) partners with municipalities to identify opportunities for incorporating resilience into municipal regulations and other planning instruments to increase resilience against increased rainfall frequency and intensity, flooding, high winds associated with more frequent storm events, and periods of extreme and extended cold.

  • This program provides a community with a consultant reviews (or audits) local regulations and ordinances to become improve resilience to the effects of climate change. You will receive draft new language and consultant assistance to help incorporate it into your existing regulations, to build community resilience.

  • This program reviews, revises, and leverages municipal ordinances, bylaws, Land Development and Subdivision Regulations, policies, and incentives that address:

  • Land use, including buildings, streets, and parking;

  • Open space and landscaping;

  • Impervious cover;

  • Erosion and sediment control;

  • Stormwater; and

  • Flooding

Program Details: 

  • RIDSP and a municipality work together to draft an RFP to hire a consultant.

  • RIDSP hires the planning consultants on behalf of the awarded municipality via the state procurement process.

  • RIDSP negotiates the contract and pays the consultant.

  • The scope and contract will reflect the community’s scope of work for the project.

  • However, the municipality cannot help choose the consultant.

  • RIDSP and the municipality jointly work with the consultants to ensure the desired outcome.

  • Monthly meetings with the consultants and the project management committee

  • We work together as full partners with a municipality!

2023 Resilience Technical Assistance Round: RIDSP is working with the Town of Cumberland

2025 Resilience Technical Assistance Round: RIDSP has invited eligible coastal municipalities to apply.  Please contact Caitlin Greeley or Roberta Groch with questions or concerns.