Trails as Resilient Infrastructure: Planning, Designing, and Managing Trails for Climate Resilience

Washington communities face many challenges as they work to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change, including how to manage the infrastructure of all scales. Trails, which have become increasingly critical for recreation, health, and transportation, are often built along waterways and coastlines, prone to flooding from sea level rise and "extreme" rain events. Others are located in areas prone to wildfire and extreme heat. However, trail corridors can also be part of the climate solution, managing stormwater, providing access to firefighters, and helping communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions by shifting more trips to walking, biking, and electric-assist devices. This session will draw on local and national expertise to understand what it takes to plan, design, and manage trails for climate resilience.

Quinn Kelly
Toole Group Design

Quinn is a planner who supports communities through research, planning, and conceptual design for streets, trails, green infrastructure, new mobility, and mobility justice. He is passionate about creating equitable, sustainable transportation networks and public spaces that help communities to thrive. His academic and professional trajectory brought him from Arkansas to New York to Amsterdam before landing in Seattle, where he works as a Project Planner for Toole Design and serves on the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board.

Michael Hintze AICP, LEED AP
Toole Group Design

Michael is the Director of Planning for Toole Design in Seattle, WA. With expertise in active transportation policy and system development, land use planning, and urban design, Michael focuses on assisting communities reorient their transportation networks to better serve people of all ages and abilities, and contribute to community resiliency, equity, and health. Michael has contributed to a wide variety of projects at the federal, state, regional, and local levels. He specializes in active transportation planning and conceptual design, design guidance, and Vision Zero and other safety-focused initiatives.