CIVIC-PG Track A: Reimagining Urban Resilience and Education Hubs Using a Community-Engaged, Equity-Centered Approach

中佛罗里达大学及其合作伙伴，包括奥兰多市，已经确定了对“公平弹性”的反复需求，以应对与气候有关的灾害，如飓风，导致电力和网络的严重损失。历史上被边缘化的群体和低收入人群的能源负担更高，使用发电机的机会更少，互联网接入也更少，而且特别容易受到威胁社区复原力的外部冲击的影响。出于这些原因，该项目将共同创建一个以公平为中心的便携式弹性中心和教育中心，为佛罗里达州中部和奥兰多社区量身定制。该项目将其称为灾害准备复原力、教育和宣传中心，即REACH中心，它将提供灾前和灾后必需品和连接，并在非紧急情况下充当动手干教育中心。通过与州和地方政府、多个社区合作伙伴以及当地青年的合作，该项目将采用社区参与的方式，将服务不足的社区置于我们共同设计互利的REACH中心的工作面前。随着REACH中心在奥兰多社会经济脆弱地区的战略布局，拟议的中心将以更公平的方式改善灾难响应和恢复。这些中心将通过使用清洁的太阳能来实现当地的可持续发展目标，设计过程将考虑如何扩大或修改其他飓风易发地区、半岛或岛屿的规模。规划拨款的主要目标是：(1)在REACH中心的设计和部署中考虑并纳入不同的社区需求，(2)制定太阳能中心的技术规范，(3)设计传感器数据封装和集成，(4)建立强大的跨学科团队和研究议程，以及(5)为其他飓风易发社区进行规模和修改。我们将利用合作机构和社区研讨会收集社区反馈，以设计中心的所有元素。该项目还将为我们的弹性中心开发模块化设计，该中心将使用商业化技术，包括长寿命电池、经济高效且高度耐用的光伏模块、5G通信、无线充电和用户界面。基于奥兰多市未来准备计划中现有和计划中的智能设备，该项目将使用尖端的云/边缘技术来集成与我们的REACH中心相关的传感器数据，使用人工智能技术进行分析，并为STEM教育打包。此外，这将创建佛罗里达州中部现有和计划中的弹性资产清单，以帮助为REACH中心位置的优先级方案提供信息。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The University of Central Florida and its partners, including the City of Orlando, have identified a recurring need for “equitable resilience” in response to climate-related disasters, such as hurricanes, that lead to significant loss of power and connectivity. Historically marginalized groups and lower-income populations have higher energy burdens, less access to generators, and reduced internet access, and are especially susceptible to external shocks that threaten community resilience. For these reasons, this project will co-create a design for an equity-centered, portable resilience hub and education center tailored for Central Florida and the Orlando community. This project calls this a Resilience, Education, and Advocacy Center for Hazard preparedness, or REACH hubs, which will provide pre- and post-disaster necessities and connectivity and serve as hands-on STEM education centers during non-emergency times. In collaboration with state and local governments, multiple community partners, and local youth, this project will use a community-engaged approach to put underserved communities in front of what we do to co-design mutually beneficial REACH hubs. With strategic placement of the REACH hubs in socioeconomically vulnerable parts of Orlando, the proposed hubs will improve disaster response and recovery in a more equitable way. The hubs will contribute to local sustainability goals by operating on clean, solar energy, and the design process will consider how to scale or modify for other hurricane prone, peninsular, or island locations.The main objectives for the planning grant are to: (1) consider and incorporate diverse community needs in REACH hub design and deployment, (2) develop technical specifications for the solar-powered hub, (3) design sensor data packaging and integration, (4) build a strong interdisciplinary team and research agenda, and (5) scale and modify for other hurricane-prone communities. We will use partner agency and community workshops for collecting community feedback to design all elements of the hubs. This project will also develop a modular design for our resilience hub that will use commercialized technologies of long-duration batteries, cost effective and highly durable PV modules, 5G communication, wireless charging, and user interfaces. Based on existing and planned smart devices in the City of Orlando’s Future-Ready program, this project will use cutting-edge cloud/edge techniques to integrate sensor data related to our REACH hubs, analyze using artificial intelligence techniques, and package for STEM education. In addition, this will create an inventory of existing and planned resilience assets in Central Florida to help inform the prioritization scheme for REACH hub locations.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.