CURes partnered with the community-based organization, TreePeople, with the aim to engage with residents in San Fernando, CA to develop locally and culturally relevant climate adaptation responses. Our project employed two phases, beginning with interviews with 17 residents including the prompt, “what does local climate resilience mean to you?” Major themes from the interviews were brought back to the participants in a follow-up workshop. All engagements took place at a community park, at convenient times for the participants, and provided financial incentives, meals, and child care to reduce barriers to participation. Materials were presented in Spanish and English, and a professional translator was available.
This approach allowed us to present and acknowledge shared values, community strengths, and future concerns, which established common ground among participants. While there was disagreement in certain areas, we found participants were eager to learn from and share with their neighbors. The group was able to co-create their suggestions for both personal actions that they could take as residents, and their desires for actions from the City. Interview and workshop findings and recommendations were presented at a public community event, and in a report to the City. Please see the research products below:
- Romolini, Michele; Hillemeier, Mary; Herrmann, Dustin; and Bar-Zemer, Miriam, "SPF 50: Safe and Prosperous Futures Preparing for the Mid-century Climate Reality" (2024). Center for Urban Resilience Reports. 13.
- Romolini, M., Hillemeier, M., & Herrmann, D. L. (2025). Community co-production of the meaning of local climate resilience and action: A case study. Earth Stewardship, 2(4), e70026.
