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Resilience in Action

Many Great Lakes communities have already taken key steps to build resilience and protect shoreline resources. A list of sources for additional case studies is provided at the bottom.

Spotlighted Stories

Enshrining Community Values in Shoreline Ordinances – Chikaming, Michigan

Source: Michigan Sea Grant

Team: planning consultant, municipality, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, researchers

Keywords: Planning, zoning and ordinances, shoreline protection

Summary: Chikaming Township, Michigan, has adopted a dynamic approach to coastal resilience. After establishing the shared value of access to pristine beaches and natural areas in a master plan, the Township went further to protect these assets. With the help of experts and a well-informed community, the Township adopted new zoning and police powers ordinances to prevent the building of hardened shoreline armoring structures. These efforts were cemented with the addition of a new resilience chapter for their master plan that will guide future planning efforts.

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Amending Land Use Codes for Natural Infrastructure Planning – Port Washington, Wisconsin

Source: NOAA Digital Coast

Team: Wisconsin Sea Grant, planning consultant, non-profit, municipality

Keywords: Planning, green infrastructure, zoning and ordinances

Summary: A major barrier to implementing green infrastructure is existing municipal codes and ordinances, which may not allow for—or be flexible about—green infrastructure practices. To help municipalities identify opportunities for code amendments, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Julia Noordyk and her team developed the Tackling Barriers to Green Infrastructure: An Audit of Local Codes and Ordinances workbook, along with an accompanying community engagement process. Learn how they used it with a small coastal Wisconsin community to help build their resilience to coastal hazards.

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Environmental Clean-Up Unites and Revitalizes a Waterfront Community – Waukegon, Illinois

Source: NOAA Digital Coast

Team: Municipality, harbor, Illinois Coastal Management Program

Keywords: Harbor, planning, revitalization

Summary: Known for its industrialized lakeshore, Waukegan developed a Lakefront Active Implementation Plan that guided the city in changing its image by cleaning up and revitalizing its waterfront to offer residents and visitors an assortment of lakefront amenities. 

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Developing the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Hazard Mitigation Plan – Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Baraga, Michigan

Source: NOAA Digital Coast

Team: Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Natural Resources Department, Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region, community members

Keywords: Traditional ecological knowledge, hazards, planning, indigenous communities, relationship building

Summary: The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community developed its hazard mitigation plan in partnership with the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region and with guidance from the Dibaginjigaadeg Anishinaabe Ezhitwaad: A Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu—a framework for integrating Indigenous and traditional knowledge and practices into climate adaptation planning. Dione Price and Rachael Pressley’s combined knowledge and experience helped guide their approach to facilitating an inclusive hazard mitigation planning process that ensured Indigenous culture, knowledge, science, kinship, and perspectives were incorporated into the plan.

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Sustainable Small Harbors Story Map – Ontonagon, Rogers City, Au Gres, New Baltimore, Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Michigan

Source: Michigan Sea Grant

Team: Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, communities, consultant

Keywords: Harbors, waterfront, planning, parks and recreation 

Summary: When the Sustainable Small Harbors project launched in 2014, the project team visited 6 case-study communities around the state and led public design workshops to help community members develop and prioritize meaningful ways to make their waterfronts more environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable.  Each community accomplished different goals including upgrading their harbor, refurbishing parks, increasing programming, carrying out visioning and planning exercises, and partaking in the MEDC Redevelopment Ready Communities program.

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Engaging Communities to Promote Coastal Zoning – St. Joseph, Michigan

Source: Great Lakes Coastal Resilience Planning Guide

Team: City commission, consultant 

Keywords: Harbors, waterfront 

Summary: In the fall of 2012, the St. Joseph City Commission passed a “no-build” zoning ordinance that prohibited the construction of permanent structures at a fixed elevation above sea level, which intersects with the shoreline approximately 200 feet from the water’s edge.  

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Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Study (CHEERS) – Cleveland, Ohio

Source: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Team: Cleveland Metroparks, city government, consultant

Keywords: Harbors, waterfront

Summary: Cleveland Metroparks needed to consider how to engage surrounding neighborhoods and residents in restoring Lake Erie’s eastern shorefront. They worked closely with community-based organizations and stakeholders to conduct virtual and in-person outreach activities and develop multilingual engagement materials for all ages, ultimately reaching over 1500 residents. Five main partners (Cleveland Metroparks, the City of Cleveland, the Port of Cleveland, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the Ohio Department of Transportation) led the project in tandem with 12 community organizations and 40 stakeholder groups to develop a plan for Cleveland’s waterfront. Here’s a 10-min podcast interview with the team.

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Additional Stories of Resilience

Many additional resilience stories are available. Have a story you want highlighted? Email us: coastalresourcehub@umich.edu

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