Climate Resilience Trainings
The USDN climate training tools were designed for local governments and their partners to train staff and engage communities in efforts to support climate resilience progress.
The toolkits were developed by USDN member communities through the USDN Innovation Fund.
The USDN Climate Resilience Training tools were developed as part of the USDN Innovation Fund grant process. In 2016, the City of Baltimore led an effort to first develop the USDN Game of Floods*, a climate reslience training toolkit for local governments to educate city staff and the community about climate change and its impacts to city assets and operations. In 2019, USDN Game of Extremes and USDN Game of Heat were developed with the City of Tempe and the City of Minneapolis, which built upon the USDN Game of Floods by adding implementation strategies and new challenges to better support cities in translating these trainings into practical changes in their plans, projects, infrastructure investments and capital budgets.
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USDN Game of Floods
The USDN Game of Floods climate resilience training toolkit can be used by local governments and their partners to educate city staff and the community about Sea Level Rise and heavy precipitation, and their impacts to community members, population centers, and city assets & operations.
Game Materials & Videos
The USDN Game of Floods short video is intended to help facilitators demonstrate the effectiveness of the resilience training tool and promote use of the tool with various audiences.
USDN Game of Floods Short Video
The USDN Game of Floods Instructional Video provides step-by-step guidance on facilitating the training and provides tips and tricks for facilitators.
You can also download the game toolkit including the game board, game materials, adaptation strategies, participant and facilitator workbooks below. Make sure to start with the "How to Guide" document.
Download USDN Game of Floods
USDN Game of Floods Instructional Video
USDN Game of Extremes
The USDN Game of Extremes training focuses on changes to riverine and coastal flooding, as well as extreme heat days, as a result of climate change. The training centers on cross-department and multi-stakeholder collaboration to assess hazards, identify vulnerability and risk, and development of a climate resilience actions based on a specific budget. This training promotes incorporation of climate resilience and equity considerations into day to day activities as well as proactive planning efforts.
Game Materials & Videos
The USDN Game of Extremes Instructional Video provides step-by-step guidance on facilitating the training and the Game of Extremes and Game of Heat provides tips and tricks for facilitators (see under below under Game of Heat).
The game toolkit including the game board, game materials, adaptation strategies, participant and facilitator workbooks can be downloaded below. Make sure to start with the "How to Guide" document.
Download USDN Game of Extremes
USDN Game of Extremes Instructional Video
USDN Game of Heat
The USDN Game of Heat training focuses on impacts of extreme heat to infrastructure, buildings and people. This training encourages multi-stakeholder collaboration to assess hazards, identify vulnerability and risk of high heat events, and identification of climate resilience actions to combat heat waves and extreme heat. The training promotes incorporation of climate resilience and equity considerations into planning for and acting on heat-related hazards.
Game Materials & Videos
The USDN Game of Extremes and Game Heat video will provide tips and tricks for the facilitator.
The game toolkit including the game board, game materials, adaptation strategies, participant and facilitator workbooks can be downloaded below. Make sure to start with the "How to Guide" document.
Download USDN Game of Heat
USDN Game of Extremes and Game of Heat Tips & Tricks Video
*The USDN Game of Floods created for USDN in 2016. The Game of Floods was loosely based on a planning tool originally developed for Marin County, California to assist community stakeholders in better understanding and prioritizing adaptation strategies needed to respond to sea level rise and coastal flood hazards. This interactive tool was leveraged and expanded with permission from Marin County to include vulnerability analysis and additional refinements to focus the game on city stakeholders.