Rain or Shine: Designing Resilient Mobility Workshop

This session will serve as an interactive exercise in designing resilient mobility. We will delve into the questions and concepts that planners need to address to design a mobility network that withstands extreme weather conditions and the test of time. 
Eligible for APA Sustainability CMs.

This session will serve as an interactive exercise in designing resilient mobility. We will delve into the questions and concepts that planners need to address to design a mobility network that withstands extreme weather conditions and the test of time. Attendees will be challenged to practice mobility and resiliency design principles with pencil to paper and will gain insights into the interrelated nature of the two. We will first dive into some best practices for resiliency planning and mobility design, then we will then apply these concepts to specific sites by dividing attendees into groups and conducting a mini design charrette. 
Valerie and Vivian will provide a presentation of resiliency and mobility best practices, drawing on professional experience, and describing the interrelated nature of the two. This introduction to these topics will then be immediately applied in the design charrette portion of the workshop.
Attendees will gather around the stations to discuss and design mobility solutions for their unique sites while considering the best practices for resilience and mobility planning. Attendees will divide into 5 groups, each assigned one of the already-identified Corpus Christi sites: Whataburger Field, La Palmera Mall, the A&M Corpus Christi University Campus, the Texas State Aquarium, and the American Bank Center. 
The groups will each evaluate existing conditions related to mobility and resiliency by reviewing the accessibility of the site, surrounding modes of transportation, and impacts from extreme weather events. Groups will identify pain points and opportunities for future design enhancements. Attendees will use trace paper overlayed on the site maps to draw specific design enhancements for their site and then discuss the possibilities within their groups.
Not only will this exercise encourage attendees to practice design concepts, it will also encourage them to think critically about questions planners, elected officials, and community stakeholders need to explore in future design projects. This exercise will leave attendees with a better understanding of how to integrate accessibility and resiliency into future planning practices within their communities.