Following the success of its inception on Nantucket, Remain took the Envision Resilience Challenge to Narragansett Bay, which covers 147 miles, making it the largest estuary in New England. It is home to numerous islands, harbors, ports and bodies of water including the Sakonnet River. Based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s “high” sea level rise projections, the Bay will see nearly 4 feet of water above local mean sea level rise by 2060, more than 6 feet by 2080 and close to 9 feet by 2100. 

Over the last decade, Rhode Island universities, local and state officials and environmental organizations have made huge strides in coastal resilience preparedness and preparation. Students across disciplines―landscape architecture, environmental engineering, law, journalism and economics to name a few―were tasked with identifying threats, researching possible solutions and proposing adaptive pathways forward for selected study areas within Providence, Wickford, Newport and the adjacent towns of Barrington, Bristol and Warren. 

“In light of these incredibly challenging times, we at Envision Resilience are incredibly encouraged by the commitment to the creativity in addressing these climate issues. We are looking at a whole new generation of designers who are going to fundamentally change the way we do this work. And a great part of that has been working with these really outstanding and innovative faculty members.” – Advisor at Envision Resilience, Bob Miklos FAIA, designLAB”