From the Ground Up

Cities can survive in the face of climate change – and even thrive – as these inspiring examples show.

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For decades, American cities have experimented with ways to remake themselves in response to climate change. These
efforts, often driven by grassroots activism, offer valuable lessons for transforming the places we live. In From the Ground
Up: Local Efforts to Create Resilient Cities, design expert Alison Sant focuses on the unique ways in which US cities are
working to mitigate and adapt to climate change while creating equitable and livable communities. She shows how, from
the ground up, we are raising the bar to make cities places in which we don’t just survive, but where all citizens have the
opportunity to thrive.
The efforts discussed in the book demonstrate how urban experimentation and community-based development are
informing long-term solutions. Sant shows how US cities are reclaiming their streets from cars, restoring watersheds,
growing forests, and adapting shorelines to improve people’s lives while addressing our changing climate. The best
examples of this work bring together the energy of community activists, the organization of advocacy groups, the power
of city government, and the reach of federal environmental policy.
Sant presents 12 case studies, drawn from research and over 90 interviews with people who are working in these communities to make a difference. For example, advocacy groups in Washington, DC are expanding the urban tree
canopy and offering job training in the growing sector of urban forestry. In New York, transit agencies are working to
make streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians while shortening commutes. In San Francisco, community activists are
creating shoreline parks while addressing historic environmental injustice.
From the Ground Up is a call to action. When we make the places we live more climate resilient, we need to acknowledge
and address the history of social and racial injustice. Advocates, non-profit organizations, community-based groups, and
government officials will find examples of how to build alliances to support and embolden this vision together. Together
we can build cities that will be resilient to the challenges ahead.