BIA Academy at NLC City Summit – November 19, 10-11:30am ET
Live, in-person or on zoom – join us for a special Building-Integrated Agriculture kick-off workshop for municipal leaders (attendees need not be part of their city’s “BIA Academy Team”.
One Roof, Multiple Benefits: Leveraging Building Integrated Agriculture for Resilient Cities
Thursday, November 19th – 10 AM – 11:30 AM
In-person @ Music City Center (contact msanderson@wsu.edu for room number)
Online (zoom): Register Here
Cities are searching for innovative ways to address stormwater management, climate resilience, economic development, food systems, and community well-being. Building Integrated Agriculture (BIA), including rooftop food production and other nature-based solutions, offers a promising approach that can help municipalities advance multiple priorities simultaneously while creating environmental, economic, and social value.
This interactive workshop brings together Extension leaders from Colorado State University, the University of Georgia, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Washington State University to explore how building integrated agriculture can help cities strengthen multiple forms of community capital, including natural, social, human, and economic capital, while advancing sustainability and resilience goals.
Participants will hear from:
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Jennifer Bousselot (Colorado State University), a plant ecologist whose work focuses on agrivoltaics, rooftop agriculture, regenerative growing systems, and stormwater management. She will discuss how building integrated agriculture can function as a nature-based solution that improves environmental performance while contributing to climate resilience and urban sustainability.
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Rolando Orellana (University of Georgia), a specialist in green stormwater infrastructure and water management. He will explore how cities can use nature-based solutions to address stormwater challenges, improve environmental outcomes, and build more resilient communities.
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Steve Chmielewski (University of Wisconsin-Madison), an Extension leader with experience in community development and partnership building. Drawing on the Community Capitals Framework, he will discuss how investments in natural capital can generate broader benefits across a community’s economic, social, human, and civic systems.
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Dan Cronan (Washington State University), a landscape architect whose work focuses on ecosystem services, digital twins, and decision-support tools. He will share how data can help cities identify opportunities, evaluate impacts, and support informed planning for building integrated agriculture and other nature-based solutions.
Following brief presentations, participants will join facilitated roundtable discussions focused on:
- Sustainability and Climate Resilience
- Water Management and Green Infrastructure
- Community Engagement and Partnerships
- Data-Driven Planning and Decision Support
- Moving from Ideas to Implementation
Participants will examine challenges facing their communities, explore how building integrated agriculture and related nature-based solutions might address those challenges, and identify strategies for turning innovative concepts into actionable projects.
Attendees will leave with practical examples, new connections, and actionable ideas for leveraging rooftops, buildings, and other underutilized urban spaces to advance community resilience, environmental quality, economic vitality, and community well-being.
By bringing together expertise from four land-grant universities representing diverse regions of the country, this session highlights how Extension can serve as a trusted partner in helping cities strengthen multiple forms of community capital while planning, evaluating, and implementing innovative solutions that deliver environmental, economic, and social benefits.
