SCC-CIVIC-PG Track B: Innovation for Economic Rejuvenation of Louisiana Coastal Communities

该项目的长期愿景是为路易斯安那州沿海地区建立一个可持续、多产和适应性强的区域经济，这是一个在经济和环境上都容易受到气候变化和人为灾害负面影响的“工作海岸”。重点是发展经济活动，以支持遭受灾害地区的复原力。路易斯安那州沿海社区遭受了飓风、沿海海平面上升、近海石油泄漏以及用于石油和天然气勘探、生产和分配的沼泽渠化的严重和反复破坏，随着墨西哥湾水域变暖，这些社区越来越容易受到大西洋飓风的影响。在这种错综复杂的风险背景下，新冠肺炎还威胁到沿海社区居民的健康，迫使数以百计的沿海和支持行业工人下岗，这些工人受雇于海上油气行业。向新的、更环保的行业和职业过渡的一个关键要素是在现有技能和基础设施的基础上进行建设和调整，并将这些技能传授给下一代。该项目让路易斯安那州海岸沿线的12个不同社区参与基于社区的参与性行动研究(CBPAR)进程，以产生和选择可由现有劳动力生产的经济活动、产品和服务的想法，同时保护海岸及其文化的环境完整性。拟议的项目促进了以下方面的基本理解：如何利用伙伴办法产生和吸收不同利益攸关方的知识，以创造可持续的经济选择和多样化的经济收入结构，从而提高生计的复原力、社区的稳定性和抗灾能力，从而使受过近海石油和天然气勘探/生产行业培训的人员的技能和知识发展保持一致。这笔规划赠款的主要目标是：(1)创建两个清单，一个是沿海人员的现有技能和兴趣，另一个是可能在绿色经济中有价值的现有基础设施和设备；(2)对区域经济机会和绿色产业及其内陆市场进行差距分析；(3)通过社区参与性行动研究(CBPAR)讲习班，应用与社区收集的数据，为路易斯安那州沿海社区创新经济振兴计划；(4)与沿海大学建立联邦资助的勤工俭学合作伙伴关系，将社区的大学适龄学生纳入该项目，他们将成为经济创新的未来管理者和雇员；以及(5)为第二阶段的启动和实施做准备，目标是雇用沿海居民设计、规划和生产有益的产品和服务。该项目是对B轨道--公民创新挑战--与NSF和国土安全部合作的响应。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The long-term vision of this project is a sustainable, generative and adaptive regional economy for coastal Louisiana, a “working coast” that is both economically and environmentally susceptible to negative impacts from climate change and human-induced disasters. The focus is to develop economic activity that will support resiliency in areas experiencing disasters. Communities in coastal Louisiana have suffered crippling and repeated damage from hurricanes, coastal sea-level rise, offshore oil spills, and channelization of marshes for oil and gas exploration, production and distribution, and are increasingly vulnerable to Atlantic hurricanes with Gulf water warming. Within this complex context of risks, COVID-19 has also threatened the health of coastal community residents and forced layoffs of hundreds of coastal and support industry workers employed by the offshore oil and gas industry. A key element in the transition to new, greener industries and occupations is building on and adapting existing skills and infrastructure, and transferring these skills to the next generation. This project engages twelve diverse communities along the Louisiana coast in a community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) process to generate and select ideas for economic activities, products and services that can be produced by the existing workforce while preserving the environmental integrity of the coast and its cultures. The proposed project advances fundamental understanding of how to align skills and knowledge development for personnel trained in the offshore oil and gas exploration/production industry using a partnered approach to generating and assimilating knowledge from diverse stakeholders to create sustainable economic choices and a diverse economic income structure for more resilient livelihoods, community stability and disaster resiliency. The primary objectives of this planning grant are: (1) to create two inventories, one of existing skills and interests of coastal personnel and one of available infrastructure and equipment that may have value in a green economy; (2) to perform a gap analysis of regional economic opportunities and green industries and their inland markets; (3) to innovate an economic rejuvenation plan for Louisiana coastal communities through a community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) workshop that applies data collected with the communities; (4) to establish federally-funded work study partnerships with coastal universities to include in the project the communities’ college-aged students who will be the future managers and employees of the economic innovations; and (5) to prepare for Stage 2 launch and implementation, with the goal of employing coastal residents in the design, planning and production of beneficial products and services.This project is in response to Track B - CIVIC Innovation Challenge - Resilience to Natural Disasters a collaboration with NSF and the Department of Homeland Security.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.