Annapolis Maritime Resilience Initiative (AMRI)

Background

The Annapolis Maritime Resilience Initiative (AMRI) is a nature-based resilience pilot that demonstrates community-scale strategies to enhance resilience in the Maritime District of the City of Annapolis, MD. 

By embedding deep listening and continuous community feedback loops, AMRI seeks to dismantle the historical and structural barriers limiting vulnerable populations’ access to climate resilience strategies. Equity-driven engagement ensures that underserved communities are fully represented, making the community an active partner in shaping its resilient future. Site selection, which will be informed and shaped by community engagement, will be predicated on the anticipated efficacy of achieving: 

  1. Ecosystem and community resiliency,
  2. Habitat and water quality improvement,
  3. Public waterfront and open space access for primarily underserved communities,
  4. Support for state and local programmatic objectives, and
  5. Community education, health, welfare, and quality of life improvements. 

Approach

The emphasis of engagement will be toward underserved communities within the affected areas with resulting strategies based on community feedback and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) principles. To best align with existing City-wide planning, the boundaries of AMRI Phase I include the highly vulnerable Eastport and Back Creek watershed and the entirety of the three Annapolis voting wards encompassing these areas. 

This collaborative process aligns investment with unique community needs. Our strategies will focus on bringing engagement into affected communities, proactively working to foster trust, and increasing accessibility with bilingual resources and culturally relevant outreach. The aim is to actively integrate the established community feedback loop into future planning efforts.

The information gleaned from this community-oriented approach will inform the design and construction process by identifying community concerns and opportunities and bringing stakeholders and other key actors together to find mutually beneficial solutions. 

Engagement Process

Our engagement process will ensure broad participation and alignment with AMRI’s goals. Our process will be grounded in the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation. This widely recognized approach ensures stakeholders are engaged appropriately depending on their role, influence, and community needs. This framework prioritizes DEIJ. By tailoring the engagement process to the unique needs of underrepresented communities, we aim to progressively move from informing stakeholders to empowering meaningful participation, ensuring that all voices have agency in decision-making. As the project progresses, we will engage stakeholders across various levels—inform, consult, involve, collaborate, and empower.

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