The Planning for Community Resilience in Michigan: A Comprehensive Handbook has been developed for land use policy and planning practitioners to help ensure that resiliency principles and climate mitigation actions are integrated into plans and policies at every level of local government. Many of the 21st century urban and suburban issues faced by Michigan communities have a direct or indirect connection to the impacts from climate change. Land-use planners and policy makers are committed to thinking long-term about changes and trends, and how they will impact communities and natural resources.

This handbook harnesses the expertise of statewide scientists, policy makers, and other experts to provide a step-by-step process for integrating resiliency planning into local food system planning, critical infrastructure decisions, natural resource management plans, zoning ordinances, and master plans. Numerous state agencies and organizations teamed up to support the development of the Handbook as a way of helping communities address the complex issues associated with climate change. 

Twenty-five different case studies highlight best management practices to help elected officials and other public servants identify policies and programs that make sense in their community. Numerous tools, like the resiliency site plan review reference guide, help planners and local communities structure a sound public process that addresses issues related to climate variability. A step-by-step process for conducting a community-wide vulnerability assessment will help communities make capital investments and policies that facilitate greater resiliency. 

In 2008, the American Planning Association adopted a policy guide on climate change, which has since been amended based on emerging science, local tools, and new policy responses. The policy guide notes that planners are in a unique position to address climate change issues because “the problem itself presents the full spectrum of the classical planning dilemma — it is long-range in nature, comprehensive in scope, and significant in impact.” Changes to our climate require proactive responses across all planning sectors, from land use to transportation to natural resource management to public health and safety to economic development. This Handbook will help make that happen.