EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Through the growth of the global population and technological advances, the consumption of non-renewable resources, land use, and many other factors have led to the climate crisis that is projected to create catastrophic consequences for life on Earth. “Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades to come, largely due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities” (NASA, 2021). These changes are affecting weather patterns, the ecological system of various species, glacial ice quantity, and many other facets. The climate crisis cannot be stopped, nor reversed, therefore individuals should seek to adapt to the changing climate and mitigate further damage to the environment.

Different initiatives are already being set up in order to plan for the future of our climate and build in a direction which helps the environment, rather than damages it. While the governments of the world are busy trying to hold large polluters responsible for the worsening conditions it is up to local governmental groups and local designers to drive the importance and creation of community driven environmental mitigation through environmentally conscious design.

In our examination of the South Wedge in Rochester, New York we have identified numerous sources of pollution that contribute to this phenomenon. According to the Rochester Climate Action plan there are 3 main contributors to emissions in Rochester and those are natural gas & electricity production, large emitters (such as industrial facilities) and on road vehicles totaling 2,800,000 MTCO2e (Spaulding & Chanthalangsy 2013). In order to combat climate change at a neighborhood scale we must examine how to reduce these emissions related to housing, transportation and industry in the South Wedge.

Planners and designers hold an ethical responsibility to address and improve upon the flaws and shortcomings of the built and natural environments of the inherited world. Their solutions for the built environment should extend beyond the wants of a client and address the needs of a community in a holistic design approach. There is not one solution that can reverse the climate crisis. Many different ideas need to be considered in a variety of situations. The Climate Crisis demands that solutions offer: 1) Mitigation – ways to slow the rate of climate change, 2) Adaptation – ways of adjusting to climate change, and 3) Resiliency – preparedness for further changes in climate. This report will outline the various ways in which we believe this might be accomplished at a neighborhood scale in the South Wedge.