UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Helping planners better understand the relationship between land-use planning and climate change is the aim of a web-based seminar to be offered by Penn State Extension.
Presenting the 75-minute webinar at noon on Feb. 21 will be James Shortle, distinguished professor of agricultural and environmental economics and director of the Environment and Natural Resources Institute in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
"Land Use Planning with a Changing Climate" is part of the Penn State Extension Winter/Spring Land-Use Webinar Series that extends to May 16. The series assists elected and appointed municipal officials, planners, land owners, farmers and community organizations in keeping abreast of land-use issues and making related decisions in their communities.
"The climate of a place, region or the globe normally is defined by long-term averages of weather variables — such as average daily temperatures, average rainfall, snowfall, the average minimum and maximums, and so forth," said Shortle. "Climate is not static and changes. Statistical analyses are used to test for climate change. Temperature and precipitation data for Pennsylvania indicate that our climate is changing, and we expect it to continue to do so."
The impacts of climate on people and places in Pennsylvania are highly dependent on land use and landscapes, and the essential role of land-use planning, broadly defined, is to help communities adapt to climate change, he noted. Planners need to know concepts, including the climate change information that is available, to address climate change.
This webinar will discuss what is known about contemporary and expected climate change in Pennsylvania, how the effects of climate change are influenced by land use, and implications for land-use planning. The session will offer planners information to help them make decisions addressing climate change.
The webinar is part of Penn State Extension's Winter/Spring 2018 Land-Use Webinar Series. Other topics and dates in the webinar series include the following:
— Jan. 17: "Planning for Private Water Supplies"
— March 14: "Community Heart and Soul: Engaging Residents through the Humanities to Find What Matters Most"
— April 11: "Addressing the Parking Challenge — Smart Parking Planning for Downtown Development"
— May 16: "Sign Regulations that Encourage Outstanding Design"
All of these programs will be recorded and available for later viewing.
The cost of the webinar series is $40 for all five sessions, or $75 for all five sessions for those who want to receive AICP certification maintenance credits from the American Planning Association. The cost is also $75 for all five sessions for professional engineers needing PDH credits.
In addition, registered landscape architects can receive continuing education credits for a fee of $45.
For more information, contact Peter Wulfhorst at 570-296-3400 or by email at ptw3@psu.edu. To register for the webinars, visit the website.