ICAR Partnership with the City of Norfolk

ODU-ICAR builds on a decade of investment and commitment by President John R. Broderick to support fundamental and applied research in the areas of sea level rise and coastal resilience. This unique interdisciplinary approach has been formalized in the launch of this new overarching institute to synthesize and grow research, outreach, education, and innovation at Old Dominion University. One of the top priorities for ODU-ICAR include development of the Recover Hampton Roads project, creating a research-based clearing house to expedite housing recovery after a severe weather event, which will become a model for other coastal communities.

This partnership with the City of Norfolk will dovetail with other key resilience related initiatives at Old Dominion University including the Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency, the partnership between Old Dominion University, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and William & Mary Law School’s Virginia Coastal Policy Center created by the general assembly in 2016 to provide applied research and services to build flooding resilience in Virginia and the newly announced Open Seas Technology Innovation Hub, which will serve as a catalyst and convener for innovative concepts related to water related industry clusters.

In addition, the partnership with Norfolk will include the appointment of Dr. Joshua Behr, Associate Professor, Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center and the inaugural Bruce Bradley Resilience Fellow as the first ODU City of Norfolk Resilience Fellow. Dr. Behr’s work focuses on resilience and recovery for vulnerable and medically fragile populations. He will be located downtown in the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offices at 112 Bank Street.

The partnership will also support applied faculty research and student projects that leverage Old Dominion’s strengths in modeling and simulation, economics, engineering, and more to build resilience in Norfolk’s communities.

This partnership cements a unique collaborative relationship that advances the City’s role as a model coastal community and Old Dominion as a leading national academic institution in the field of coastal resilience and adaptation, enabling faculty to directly connect to the city as a natural test-bed for innovative technologies and practices.