Resilient Fairfax

Use the interactive climate map to see Urban Heat Islands, flood-prone areas, and how these hazards intersect with our infrastructure, buildings, populations, and natural resources. Please click this link to see a video explaining how to use this map. 

In addition to the Resilient Fairfax plan itself, there are detailed technical reports. These analyses helped the county identify our top climate hazards, top vulnerabilities, and opportunities for improvement. 

• Climate Projections
  • The Resilient Fairfax Climate Projections Report helps address the question "what will our climate look like in the future?" and also, "what climate hazards are we already facing?"
     
• Urban Heat Islands
  • The Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC) partnered with the NASA DEVELOP program to analyze the county’s Urban Heat Islands. 
     
• Vulnerabilities
  • To address the question "Where are we vulnerable?" the Resilient Fairfax team produced a Vulnerability and Risk Assessment of our infrastructure, public services, populations, and natural resources.
     
• Audit of Existing Policies, Plans, and Programs
  •  The Audit of Existing Policies, Plans, and Programs helps address the question "How is the county government currently doing in terms of resilience?" Fairfax County has numerous areas of strength and important fundamental policies and programs upon which to build.

The Resilient Fairfax planning process took place from February 2021 to October 2022. The plan is now being implemented. The planning process involved hundreds of stakeholders and over 200 engagement and coordination meetings.

Planning Timeline

Who is involved?​

• County Interagency Team: There are over 25 Fairfax County departments and agencies involved in climate planning and  implementation. Click here to see a full list of county entities involved.
• Community Advisory Group (CAG): The CAG is composed of residents from each of the county's nine magisterial districts, representatives for boards, authorities, and commissions, and individuals from the environmental, religious, nonprofit, civil rights, residential, and business communities. Click here to see a full list of entities involved in the CAG.​
• Infrastructure Advisory Group (IAG): The IAG is composed of utilities, authorities, regional bodies, and representatives of local, state, and federal government agencies responsible for infrastructure management and services.  Click here to see a full list of entities involved in the IAG.​
• Fairfax County Residents: In addition to the Community Advisory Group, throughout the Resilient Fairfax planning process, members of the Fairfax County community contributed by attending public meetings, responding to a public survey, participating in the public comment period for the draft plan, and sharing thoughts and ideas with the project team throughout the process. Additionally, the Resilient Fairfax team has provided numerous presentations to neighborhood groups and community organizations. The Resilient Fairfax team values continued partnership with the public during plan implementation. 

The Resilient Fairfax Plan was adopted by the Board of Supervisors in November 2022 and is currently in the early implementation phase. The plan includes 48 strategies to improve our resilience to climate hazards such as increasingly severe storms, unusual temperatures, and flooding. These strategies are organized into four pillars. A sample of recent progress within these pillars are highlighted below. To track our progress, please see the Climate Action Dashboard.

In addition to tracking the progress of strategies, OEEC tracks key metrics for each prioritized strategy, which can be found in the Resilient Fairfax Plan. If you have any questions, please email ResilientFairfax@fairfaxcounty.gov.

To view more information about the pillars, goals, and strategies of the Resilient Fairfax plan, please click here. 

• Over 25 county agencies are involved with Resilient Fairfax. 
• 31 out of 48 Resilient Fairfax strategies have started or are ongoing. 
• Progress is not limited to the examples listed below.

Examples of Our Progress (last updated March 2023)

Integrated Action Planning

IAP.1a: Update the Comprehensive Plan to Enhance Resilience: DPD, OEEC, and other county agencies have launched the update process for the county’s Comprehensive Plan. Policy plan sections being reviewed for climate considerations include the Environmental Policy Plan, Land Use, and Transportation, among others. Follow the process at this link.

IAP.3b: Pursue State and Federal Funding Opportunities: DPWES was recently awarded $15.7 million for four Community Flood Preparedness Fund projects to reduce flood risk in various neighborhoods. An inter-departmental team is actively tracking dozens of additional state and federal funding opportunities for resilience action, including funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Climate Ready Communities

CRC.1b: Resilience Hubs: OEEC is in the early stages of developing pilot Resilience Hubs in the county, in partnership with Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions and other potential partners. Candidate sites have been identified, and the team is pursuing funding opportunities and other early logistical steps.

CRC.3a: Flood Risk Reduction: An interagency team led by DPWES and LDS is continuing to make progress on flood risk reduction activities. This progress includes updated flood risk mapping, modeling of stormwater and development scenarios with climate change factored in,  and progress analyzing potential updates to stormwater design standards. Additionally, DPWES is actively managing dozens of stormwater improvement projects.

Resilient Infrastructure and Buildings

Advocate and Partner for Transportation Resilience: OEEC coordinates with transportation partners such as WMATA (Metro), FCDOT, VDOT, DEMS, and MWCOG on climate resilience for transportation infrastructure. Our collective goal is to ensure that our transit routes, roads, charging stations, and other infrastructure can better withstand extreme weather without shutting down. VDOT owns and manages most roads in Fairfax County and recently released a VDOT Resilience Plan. WMATA is actively working on resilience efforts, in coordination with OEEC and other partners.

Adaptive Environments

Green Infrastructure Projects that Provide Climate Resilience Benefits:  NVSWCD provides hands-on assistance with small-scale green infrastructure for residents and other small properties. DPWES is continuing to incorporate green infrastructure into public facilities and stormwater management infrastructure. DPD is continuing to advocate for green infrastructure of private developments during development review. OEEC and fellow departments are currently working to update county plans and policies such as the Comprehensive Plan to more strongly encourage green infrastructure throughout the county. Additionally, OEEC and partners are developing updated resilience guidance for residents, including green infrastructure guidance.