In 2018, Asheville dubbed itself a “climate resilient city” following a study conducted by the National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC) at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Titlled “Building Climate Resilence in Asheville NC: A 5-Step Process for Communities,” the resilience plan has been removed from the NEMAC web site, but it aimed to assess the city’s vulnerabilities to climate-related risks and create a framework for resilience planning. According to the report, Asheville is particularly susceptible to increased flooding, landslides, and infrastructure failure due to its mountainous terrain and proximity to rivers like the French Broad.

While the study laid out broad strategies for addressing these challenges, including floodplain management, emergency planning, and community outreach, the real-world implementation of these ideas has fallen drastically short. What was intended to be a roadmap for resilience has largely resulted in a rubber stamp for climate preparedness, rather than a meaningful action plan.

The climate resilience plan rightly identified Asheville’s flood-prone areas and the potential for landslides in the region’s steep terrain. Yet, despite these clear risks, the city has continued to approve developments in vulnerable zones, offering only token consideration for climate resilience in its building permit processes. Rather than prioritizing the reinforcement of its infrastructure and proactively denying risky developments, Asheville's approach has been reactive, waiting for disaster to strike before addressing the vulnerabilities that have been well-documented for over a century. This gap between recognition and action exposes the hollowness of Asheville’s “climate resilient city” designation.

In March 2023, five years after the NEMAC study, The City of Asheville adopted a Municipal Climate Action Plan (MCAP). This plan outlines a roadmap to enhance the city’s sustainability and climate resilience. It focuses on three primary goals: making city-owned assets resilient and energy-efficient, embedding sustainability into city operations, and supporting community resilience efforts. Specific actions include transitioning to 100% renewable energy for city facilities, fleet electrification, urban forestry in vulnerable neighborhoods, and stormwater management improvements. The plan emphasizes equity and community engagement, especially in underserved areas, and tracks progress through measurable performance metrics.

The MCAP, however, still kind of misses the point of climate resilience, lacking rigorous enforcement of stricter building permit policies, comprehensive flood insurance reforms, or real-time disaster monitoring systems. While it emphasizes sustainability and equity, the action plan primarily focuses on internal city operations rather than addressing broader infrastructural and development vulnerabilities.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and other regional organizations have also been involved in studying and addressing climate resilience, but their focus has generally been broader, touching on economic development, infrastructure, and workforce enhancement with resilience as a subtheme. The ARC’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan emphasizes building resilient infrastructure and enhancing economic opportunities through inclusive growth and sustainability initiatives. However, the focus remains more on long-term economic and infrastructure improvements rather than specific, detailed climate action plans

In addition to ARC, the Appalachian Climate Technologies (ACT Now Coalition) is actively working on innovative climate solutions. This group, selected for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, aims to transform the region’s economy through renewable energy, green infrastructure, and climate technology, particularly for coal-reliant communities in West Virginia. This coalition highlights the potential for sustainable regional growth through technological innovation and community-based solutions

Furthermore, Invest Appalachia, another regional organization, has conducted research on climate resilience in Central Appalachia. Their 2023 report stresses the potential economic opportunities that climate migration might bring to the region, provided that infrastructure, services, and agriculture are thoughtfully prepared for these changes.

While the ARC and these other regional organizations have engaged in climate resilience discussions, the focus has largely been on broader economic and infrastructure development, with climate adaptation and sustainability embedded within those larger goals rather than being the sole focus of dedicated climate action plans. This highlights the need for more specific and actionable resilience strategies across the Southern Appalachian region.

A Comprehensive Regional Approach to Climate Resilience

There has never been a stronger clarion call to action for regional and municipal planners than from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Across every Southern Appalachian county, city, and town, leaders must start working more purposefully together, pooling resources, and devising a more comprehensive regional approach to climate resilence, including: 



1. Leveraging Historical Climate Data for Proactive Planning

Asheville has experienced numerous floods, landslides, and infrastructure failures. Instead of token gestures, planners must dive into historical climate data, which provides clear evidence of recurring extreme weather events. This data should inform city planning, infrastructure development, and community readiness, not just fill reports after the fact.

2. Reinforcing and Updating Infrastructure

The city's bridges and mountain roads have been at risk for decades, yet little has been done to prepare them for future storms. Many of these structures are decades, if not over a century, old. Asheville and similar towns must prioritize upgrading infrastructure to withstand future disasters—bridges, culverts, and roads should be designed, maintained, and inventoried with the understanding that landslides and floods will happen, and population modeling in the context of providing emergency services and evacuation of both urbanized and remote areas must become a priority.

3. Implementing Green Infrastructure and Natural Barriers

Instead of allowing unchecked development in floodplains, Asheville and Buncombe County in particular need to focus on restoring wetlands and riparian zones along the French Broad River and others. These natural barriers can help absorb floodwaters and mitigate the impact of storms like Helene. Green infrastructure, such as permeable pavements and stormwater retention areas, should be incorporated into urban design and masterplanning to consider unprecedented increases in rainfall, as we’ve seen with Hurricane Helene.

4. Real-Time Slope Stability Monitoring

With modern technology like AI, remote sensing and satellite imagery, landslides and slope instability can be better predicted. This is especially crucial in the mountainous terrain around Asheville, where residents in remote areas could be trapped by falling debris. Why aren’t these systems in place already?

5. Community Engagement and Disaster Communication

Simply calling Asheville a "climate resilient city" does nothing if residents don’t understand the risks or have clear, actionable information in times of crisis. Each community must develop a comprehensive communication strategy that informs both residents and visitors about the real threats they face—from flood zones to evacuation routes. This could include apps, alert systems, and regular community engagement on disaster preparedness.

6. Focusing on Long-Term Recovery and Relocation

When (not if) another significant storm event occurs, such as a hurricane, flood or landslide, how quickly can Asheville and other Appalachian cities recover? Recovery from disasters like Hurricane Helene will take years, and if planning policies don’t change, the region will remain in a constant cycle of reaction and repair. To break this cycle, cities and towns must rethink their approach to urban planning, focusing not just on rebuilding but on relocating populations to safer, more sustainable areas and adopting new zoning regulations that encourage greater population density on safer, much smaller land footprints.

7. Encouraging Compact Development
One of the most significant steps toward long-term resilience is compact, high-density development. Instead of sprawling growth that puts more people and infrastructure in harm’s way, Appalachian cities should incentivize urban infill, mixed-use development, and higher population densities in safer areas. This would reduce the land footprint needed for housing and services, helping to minimize the risk of future floodplain and landslide disasters. Compact urban growth also creates more efficient use of infrastructure and resources, reducing costs for both residents and municipalities.

8. Zoning for Resilience
Zoning regulations must be updated to:

• Deny development in high-risk areas, such as floodplains and landslide-prone zones.

• Promote vertical growth rather than horizontal sprawl, especially in safer, less vulnerable parts of the cities.

• Encourage mixed-use developments that integrate residential, commercial, and recreational spaces within the same area, reducing the need for extensive transportation infrastructure and promoting a more walkable, resilient urban environment.

• Green infrastructure mandates should require developments to incorporate permeable pavements, stormwater retention systems, and natural buffers to handle heavy rainfall and mitigate flood risks.

9. Relocation and Long-Term Recovery Planning:
Beyond new construction, communities must have well-developed plans for relocating residents displaced by climate disasters. This isn’t just a matter of rebuilding homes but ensuring they are rebuilt in locations that are sustainable and resilient to future climate impacts. Appalachian towns should focus on community-driven relocation strategies, ensuring that relocated populations have access to essential services, employment opportunities, and transportation.

Long-term resilience isn’t just about patching things up—it’s about rethinking how cities and towns are built and maintained in the face of an inevitable, worsening climate. By updating zoning regulations to promote compact, high-density development and preparing for community-wide relocations, the Southern Appalachian region can take a more proactive approach to climate resilience.

10. Collaborating with Regional Partners for Broader Resilience

Climate resilience in the Southern Appalachians can't just be handled on a city-by-city basis. Asheville must coordinate with surrounding towns, emergency services, and state-level agencies to build a regional network of support. This could involve shared evacuation routes, coordinated disaster relief, and regional climate monitoring systems.

Asheville and its mountain neighbors are sitting on a century of ignored climate warnings. The token efforts they’ve shown are inadequate given the severity of the risks. Climate resilience must be built into their calculus—not just as a slogan, but as a real, measurable, and actionable plan.

The Permitting Problem

One of Asheville’s most glaring issues is the city's lax building permit policies. Developments continue to be approved in areas highly susceptible to flooding and landslides, despite the city's awareness of these risks. While the 2018 study emphasizes the importance of resilient infrastructure, the city has failed to implement stringent permit processes to enforce that. Rather than denying permits for high-risk development or requiring developers to meet stricter climate resilience standards, the city seems to turn a blind eye.

As Asheville continues to grow, so does the risk of poorly planned development exacerbating the impact of future climate events. The city needs to revise its zoning laws to better reflect updated climate data, which shows that flood risks are increasing as storms become more intense. In vulnerable areas, development should be stopped altogether, or at least heavily restricted, with mandatory environmental impact assessments that prioritize climate resilience. This would not only protect future developments but also reduce the long-term costs of emergency responses and disaster recovery.

The Flood Insurance Crisis

Another significant oversight in Asheville’s climate resilience strategy is the lack of comprehensive flood insurance planning. Many property owners in Asheville, particularly those in historically flood-prone areas, are either uninsured or severely underinsured for flood risks. This leaves residents vulnerable to financial ruin after a major flood, and it puts further strain on the city’s emergency response resources.

The city must work with state and federal agencies to expand the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to cover more properties in Asheville. However, flood insurance isn’t enough on its own. The city also needs to improve how it communicates flood risks to residents. Flood risk zones need to be clearly delineated and regularly updated, and homeowners should be required to disclose flood risks when selling property. Additionally, the city should offer incentives for floodproofing homes and businesses, such as grants or tax credits, to encourage property owners to invest in resilience measures like elevated foundations and flood barriers.

Building for the Future: Stronger, Smarter Infrastructure

As climate risks increase, so does the need for stronger, smarter infrastructure. The 2018 study outlines the vulnerabilities of Asheville’s existing infrastructure, particularly its bridges and roads. Yet, the city has done little to address these concerns. The region's aging infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle the increasingly intense storms and floods projected in the coming decades. Many bridges and roads are decades, if not over a century, old, and their designs do not account for the extreme weather events that are becoming more common due to climate change.

Asheville must prioritize upgrading its infrastructure to be more resilient. This means reinforcing bridges, updating road networks to withstand flooding and landslides, and incorporating green infrastructure like permeable pavements and stormwater retention areas. Green building codes should also be enforced for new developments, requiring climate-resilient materials and designs that account for future risks. For a city that brands itself as “climate resilient,” it’s time to start building like it.

Real-Time Monitoring and Slope Stability

Asheville’s mountainous terrain poses a particular challenge in terms of landslides, which have been a recurring problem throughout the city’s history. Modern technology offers solutions to this, yet Asheville has not fully embraced them. Real-time slope stability monitoring, using satellite imagery and AI-driven analysis, could help predict landslides before they happen. This would allow emergency services to act preemptively, evacuating people from high-risk areas and rerouting traffic before disaster strikes.

However, these systems must be paired with proper infrastructure upgrades and public education. Residents in landslide-prone areas need to know the risks and be informed of evacuation routes well in advance. It’s not enough to rely on outdated infrastructure and hope for the best. Proactive measures like real-time monitoring and advanced warning systems are essential for true climate resilience.

The Bigger Questions Asheville Needs to Ask

As Asheville grapples with the realities of climate change, it must start asking harder questions about the cost of inaction. What will be the long-term financial impact of not upgrading infrastructure now? How will emergency services handle a multi-disaster scenario, like a landslide cutting off access to a flooded area? The city's leaders also need to consider how population growth and tourism contribute to these challenges. With Asheville becoming a popular destination, the strain on its infrastructure and emergency services will only increase.

Furthermore, Asheville must prepare for the possibility of becoming a refuge for climate migrants from coastal areas increasingly battered by hurricanes and sea-level rise. As populations shift inland, will Asheville have the housing, infrastructure, and services necessary to support this influx? The city needs to start planning for a future in which it may become a safe haven for those displaced by climate disasters elsewhere.

Conclusion: From Tokenism to True Resilience

The 2018 climate resilience study may have been a step in the right direction, but Asheville has a long way to go before it can truly call itself a “climate resilient city.” The token efforts made thus far, including inadequate permitting processes and underfunded infrastructure projects, fall short of addressing the real risks the city faces. Asheville has the opportunity to lead by example, building a city that not only survives future disasters but thrives in the face of them. To do so, it must take bold, proactive steps: stricter building codes, comprehensive flood insurance planning, real-time disaster monitoring, and above all, a commitment to prioritizing resilience in every aspect of city planning. Anything less is a dangerous gamble with the city’s future.

A native of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, Douglas McDaniel is Director of Research and Innovation at IDEA Studios. He was formerly Senior Manager of Research and Innovation in Urban Planning at NEOM, a greenfield city under development in Saudi Arabia.