How the Toolkit came to be

Built with Philadelphians

In 2026, neighborhood leaders hosted workshops across the city. What you told us shaped this toolkit.

We collaborated with 18 community partners from neighborhoods across Philadelphia. Each received training in climate basics from the Office of Sustainabilty and facilitation by Creative Praxis, preparing them to lead climate conversations in their communities.

Across the City

Together with our ambassadors, we held 30 workshops:

18 in-person workshops in neighborhoods across the city
9 online workshops for specific neighborhoods
3 online workshops open to the whole city

Ambassadors led the way. They invited their neighbors and ran the workshops in their own communities, so each one felt familiar and trusted.

We made it easy to show up. In-person workshops had food, child activities, and payment for people’s time, because your time and care matter.

What we Asked, What we Heard

CCRP: Workshop Data - Toolkit Version

At every workshop, we:

Made a Hope Wall showing what they love about their neighborhood and want to protect.
Shared how they get ready for bad weather and bounce back, and what makes that hard.
Told their stories about how climate change affects their lives.
Shared ideas for what would help most.
Picked their top priorities so the City knows where to start.

We listened closely. What we heard shaped this toolkit and will guide the Citywide Climate Resilience Plan.

Centering Youth

Young people helped shape this work, too.

A Youth Advisory Council worked with the City’s Office of Sustainability to bring young people’s voices into climate planning.
The council helped plan and name a citywide contest: Change Depends on Youth: Climate Awareness Through Art & Poetry.
Students ages 14 to 21 shared poems and art about climate change. Creative Praxis led the contest.
Winners in each category received $1,000 for 1st place, $500 for 2nd, and $250 for 3rd.

We celebrated their work at an awards event.

See the winning art and poems

Community Partners

Click below for Partner Websites

Project Team

Philadelphia Office of Sustainability works with partners across the city to improve quality of life in every Philadelphia neighborhood by advancing environmental justice, moving forward the city’s climate and energy goals, and preparing Philadelphia for a hotter, wetter future. Through its Climate Resilience division, OOS leads the Citywide Climate Resilience Plan and this toolkit, helping residents and communities get ready for a changing climate.

Hinge Collective is a Philadelphia-based public interest design firm that believes public spaces should be shaped by the communities who use them. Putting community engagement and public participation at the center of its practice, Hinge helps neighborhoods find design solutions that support both human and ecological health.

Creative Praxis is an arts-based, healing-centered training organization founded by Nia Eubanks-Dixon, offering anti-racist, liberation-focused programs for youth, educators, and communities. In partnership with OOS and Hinge, it hosted a citywide art and spoken word competition inviting Philly youth ages 14–21 to share their perspectives on climate preparedness, environmental justice, and community resilience.

Funding Partners

This toolkit is part of Philadelphia's Citywide Climate Resilience Plan, developed with residents across the city.

The plan will be released in 2027.

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