BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Cambridge_Bay X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Cambridge_Bay BEGIN:VEVENT UID:90@lainy.org DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260414T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260414T094500 DTSTAMP:20260319T190610Z URL:https://lainy.org/events/april-14-2026-protecting-lower-manhattan-from -climate-change-a-panel-discussion-about-the-fidi-seaport-climate-resilien ce-plan/ SUMMARY:April 14\, 2026 - Protecting Lower Manhattan from Climate Change: A Panel Discussion about the FiDi & Seaport Climate Resilience Plan DESCRIPTION:A Panel Discussion about the FiDi &\; Seaport Climate Resili ence Plan\nAbout the FiDi-Seaport Climate Resilience Plan:\n\nNYC is incre asingly vulnerable to flooding due to climate change.  More intense coast al storms\, rising sea levels\, and extreme precipitation are already caus ing flooding across New York City.  Lower Manhattan is at the core of New York City’s transportation system and economy.  The area is also a cul tural hub\, attracting millions of visitors\, and is a mixed-use center wi th a growing residential population.  To protect the neighborhood\, the c ity is building flood-protection infrastructure\, making the city more res ilient to climate change and ensuring Lower Manhattan can to better serve generations of New Yorkers and visitors.  The FiDi-Seaport Climate Resili ence Plan closes the last gap in Lower Manhattan’s defenses against coas tal flooding.\n Panel Moderator: Lisa Chamberlain\nLisa Chamberlain\, LAI NY member\, is a communications\, policy\, and business development strate gist for all things urban.  She works with public\, nonprofit\, and priva te-sector leaders engaged in urban planning\, resilient design\, real esta te\, and economic development focused on communications strategy and conte nt creation.  This work draws on 25 years of experience in NYC and global ly as Communications Lead at the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation\, a commercial real estate reporter for The New York Times \, Executive Director of the Urban Design Forum\, and a Congressional aide on Capitol Hill.\n\n Panelist: Rachel Aaronson\n\nRachel Aaronson is the Vice President of Waterfronts on the Neighborhood Strategies team at the N ew York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC).  In this role\, Rach el leads on large-scale resilience projects like the FiDi-Seaport Climate Resilience plan\, and has previously worked on large-scale planning projec ts like Hunts Point Resilience and SPARC Kips Bay which weave together cli mate adaptation and economic development.  Prior to this role\, Rachel wa s the Chief of Staff at the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Ju stice (MOCEJ)\, where she oversaw implementation of PlaNYC\, the City's cl imate plan and supported on priority initiatives like EJNYC.  Rachel is c urrently pursuing a master’s in urban planning at Hunter College and hol ds a B.A. from Grinnell College.\n\n Panelist: Jordan Salinger\n\nOriginal ly from Southern California\, Jordan Salinger earned his undergraduate deg ree from Colorado College and Master’s in Urban Planning from Columbia U niversity.  Before moving to New York\, he worked at SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research)\, an urban policy think-tank.  He then serve d as Chief of Staff to Assembly member Robert Rodriguez where he focused o n affordable housing and infrastructure.  He currently helps to lead the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency project at the Mayor’s Office of Clim ate and Environmental Justice.  He also has focused on advancing the Clim ate Strong Communities program\, an effort to deliver multi-hazard adaptat ion infrastructure projects across NYC.\nWe encourage you to join us to ne twork and socialize with other chapter members and guests.\nA light breakf ast with coffee and tea will be served.\nThe event offers 1 AICP Certifica tion Mainentance Credit.\n\nCLICK HERE TO REGISTER! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR