Our Services

Technical assistance for urban resilience

The Lab’s interdisciplinary team co-creates tools, research, and strategies that enable decision-makers and communities to understand and respond to climate and social risks, advancing equity and resilience in cities worldwide.

Our Work | Our Impact

 

OCCELUS Data Visualization Platform, showing NYC hazard data

Climate Risk and Resilience

We provide actionable insights for city agencies, community organizations, and global partners by developing high-resolution climate models—both physics-based and AI-driven—to support equitable, adaptive, and resilient urban futures. Some of our climate risk and resilience service offerings are described below:

  • We utilize the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to simulate urban climate dynamics, including extreme heat. WRF accounts for anthropogenic heat, surface roughness, and urban geometry to produce accurate temperature projections.

  • We deploy hydrodynamic models like CityCAT and HEC-RAS 2D to simulate rainfall-driven urban flooding. Models incorporate high-resolution LiDAR data, land cover, and soil types to predict flow velocity, depth, and inundation patterns.

  • We model how infrastructure systems respond under extreme events.

    • Synthetic Networks (SyNF): Probabilistic models of city-scale energy and transport systems (e.g., NYC, Phoenix, Atlanta).

    • Failure Simulation: Monte Carlo methods assess cascading outages across networks.

    • Resilience Scenarios: Explore adaptation strategies under diverse climate hazards.

  • We assess social vulnerability using indicators like income, race, age, and housing conditions, often mapped alongside climate hazards to identify environmental justice concerns. Tools include:

    • CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)

    • Geospatial overlays with flood and heat risk layers

    • Equity-focused scenario analysis to support community resilience planning

  • We make complex climate data actionable through science communication products and platforms.

 
 
 

Nature-Based Solutions

We develop innovative research to scale the role of nature-based solutions (NbS)—such as green infrastructure, urban forests, and blue-green corridors—in cities worldwide. Through interdisciplinary research and global partnerships, we analyze regional challenges and local contexts to enhance urban biodiversity, climate adaptation, and human and planetary health. 

  • Our work supports synthesizing the latest science on nature-based solutions through coproduction and engagement with international partners and networks.

  • Examine how international policy, funding, and governance frameworks affect local NbS strategies. Evaluate regulatory tools that support or hinder equitable NbS implementation (e.g., participatory budgeting).

  • Analyze how cities respond to the Global Biodiversity Framework targets (eg. 30x30) and innovative ways to assess biodiversity and urban environmental health through ecological traits research to identify key indicators of improving urban resilience and well-being. to support cities in measuring ecological health and inclusion outcomes.

Coproduction and Engagement

We partner with local communities, governments, and organizations to co-develop research, tools, and strategies that advance inclusive governance and climate resilience. Our work supports cross-agency collaboration, improves advocacy, and ensures that science communication is accessible and impactful for those who need it most.

  • Identify key partners, local challenges, and shared values through interviews, governance analysis, and surveys.

  • Convene multi-sectoral stakeholders to co-develop long-term, positive visions of resilient urban futures. Workshops are designed to equalize power dynamics, elevate underrepresented voices, and blend scientific and local knowledge systems. 

  • Translate visions into actionable pathways with defined targets, roles, and strategies. Facilitators use creative techniques—such as mapping, storytelling, and role-play—to enable inclusive deliberation and shared learning.

 
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