Municipalities increasingly recognize that climate risk affects project scope, cost, construction, and long-term performance, but many lack a practical way to integrate climate considerations into early project planning and design. This online workshop series provides a structured, applied approach to scoping municipal infrastructure projects through a climate lens, translating climate risk into resilient design specifications, defensible cost estimates, and a clear understanding of delivery gaps.

Delivered through three facilitated online workshops by Jeff Matthews and AIM Network, the training supports you in moving from high-level climate awareness to, fundable and delivery-ready projects. The program includes offline one-on-one support and is suitable for both beginners and more experienced municipal teams.

Participants will be guided through a step-by-step process to:

• Apply a climate lens at the project scoping stage
• Translate climate risks into resilient design assumptions and requirements for design and construction contractors
• Support preliminary cost and design estimates that consider future conditions in cost before the project is funded
• Identify delivery gaps related to capacity, funding, approvals, and governance
  
  

The workshops focus on how climate considerations change real project decisions. Emphasis is placed on alignment with how municipal projects are actually planned, approved, and funded.

Through hands-on exercises using participant projects, you will learn how to:

• Identify climate hazards and stressors relevant to specific infrastructure types
• Understand how climate risk affects scope, level of service, materials, and sequencing
• Develop climate-informed design assumptions suitable for early-stage engineering
• Link resilience measures to cost drivers and funding eligibility
• Conduct a gap assessment to identify what is missing for successful project delivery

What’s in it for you?

You’ll leave with practical outputs to help your municipality:

• Define at least one major infrastructure project scoped in a way that anticipates future climate conditions
• Processes to manage risk of cost overruns, redesign, and funding delays
• Communicate climate-related trade-offs clearly to council, funders, and senior management
• Identify capacity and process gaps before projects enter procurement

Who should attend?

This training is designed for municipal staff and elected officials involved in capital planning, engineering, asset management, public works, and climate adaptation. It is particularly relevant for small, rural, northern, and capacity-constrained municipalities. No advanced technical background is required; the focus is on applied decision-making rather than detailed modeling.