North: Climate Migration and the Future of American Urbanism

Climate change is already influencing how and where people live. In North, Jesse M. Keenan argues that America is entering a new era marked by shifts in population that will transform everything from the physical landscape of cities to electoral politics. First, Keenan examines how human mobility is shaped by the environment and the economy. Next, he provides a conceptual and empirical overview of adaptation science, with a focus on how people, governments, and markets are preparing for and responding to climate impacts. He documents how physical impacts in the built environment, escalating costs, and public sector inertia are converging to drive people out of high-risk areas, while, at the same time, certain other areas are attracting people who seek a more sustainable way of life. North is not just a collection of scientific observations and projections about the peril of those left behind. It is also a projection of optimism about America’s capacity for decarbonization, environmental stewardship, and economic mobility for those on the move.

Jesse M. Keenan is the Favrot II Associate Professor of Sustainable Real Estate and Urban Planning and the Director of the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism at Tulane University. Keenan’s research focuses on the intersection of climate change adaptation and the built environment, including aspects of applied science, design, regulation, and planning. Keenan has previously advised agencies of the U.S. government, governors, mayors, Fortune 500 companies, technology ventures, community enterprises and international NGOs. Keenan formerly served as the Area Head for Real Estate and Built Environment on the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Design; Fellow of Science, Technology and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government; and as the Research Director of the Center for Urban Real Estate on the faculty of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University, as well as visiting appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and Oxford University.