KLA Perspectives

1-hour overview of Cleveland’s, others’ success with sustainability dashboards available for free download

This post originally appeared on the American Public Works Association (APWA) Center for Sustainability blog. You can find it here.

“April showers bring May flowers” has always been the optimist’s view of the rainy weather that often marks this month. But for many cities, these days “rain” is more like “deluge” that leads to flooding before flowers and it’s not just confined to April.

I am just back from warm and sunny Phoenix and the national conference of the American Planning Association (APA). This is my sixth time attending this conference and yet again it delivered in terms of compelling sessions and ample networking (4,300 people attended!). I was pleased to see APA continue to enhance its focus on sustainability. In fact, at the session for the APA Sustainable Communities Division, it was suggested that ALL planning should be sustainable- as in sustainability planning and planning should be one in the same. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement.

August 2024 Update: Visit the KLA Community Dashboard page to watch a video, explore the features, and schedule a demo.  

Spring break time is upon us! Ah, the sun, the fun… and whether you are a college student looking to party on the beach or a family with kids heading to Disney, about 25 million of us will be heading to the Sunshine State of Florida during the months of March and April. Florida’s warm weather is a welcome change from the winter weather in much of the rest of the country and for $1,000 per plane ticket (gulp) or a scenic drive down I-95 there really is no better time to go. Maybe money doesn’t matter if this is a family tradition, right? You’ve been doing this since the kids were in elementary school and before you know it they will head off on their college spring break to Florida. In another 25 years, they will take their families to Florida for spring break and keep the tradition alive.

I’m passionate about a lot of things – my family, protecting the planet for my daughter, highlighting and advancing the role of working women.  And when it comes to sports, sure, I reserve my strongest fervor for the New England Patriots during the NFL season.  But come March, I have fond memories of when my alma mater, UMASS Amherst, made it to the Final Four in 1996. And it’s hard not to get swept up in the collective fervor of March Madness.

Climate adaptation is just one piece in the complicated resilience puzzle that cities face, and it’s directly and indirectly related to a host of challenges from flooding to infrastructure to public health. Resilience touches many city departments and budgets and outside stakeholders.