Neighborhoods Initiative
Rendering by Hailey Hartnett (VT LAR 2023)
Mission of the Initiative
To pursue environmental justice for disenfranchised and underserved Virginia neighborhoods in ways that reflect their histories, honor their cultural identities, and help them accomplish their plans for the future.
Introduction to Neighborhoods
Coastal Community Design Collaborative (Hampton University and Old Dominion University), Virginia Tech students, and Aberdeen Gardens community members preparing for a site visit.
Our Neighborhoods Initiative focuses on building climate resilience by fostering rich partnerships between community groups, technical advisors, and Virginia’s top academic institutions through our Collaboratory program.
Wetlands Watch's Resilient Design and Research Collaborative Laboratory, or “Collaboratory,” transforms academic research into practical, community-driven solutions that directly benefit Virginia residents, particularly those in underserved and historically marginalized areas.
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The Collaboratory
Top Left: Jenny Seo, Makena McLaughlin, Niall Hamilton, 2025. Top Right: Amanda Nickerson, Becca Reynolds, Lily Bailey, 2026. Middle: Jiahua Zhao, 2023. Bottom: Kongxi Zu, 2023.
Kongxi Zu, 2023.
Top: Jenny Seo, Makena McLaughlin, Niall Hamilton, 2025. Bottom: Jiahua Zhao, 2023.
Amanda Nickerson, Becca Reynolds, Lily Bailey, 2026.
Launched in 2014, the Collaboratory started with a pilot project bringing students from the Coastal Community Design Collaborative (Hampton University and Old Dominion University) into Chesterfield Heights, Norfolk. Student participants range in disciplines and university levels to produce resilient designs at varying scales to reduce flood risk. Design scale types include residential sites, industrial sites, shorelines, and full neighborhoods. During the academic year, the students visit their chosen site, engage the local community, work with technical advisors, and present their project designs at the project end date.
The benefits of this experience goes two ways: workforce development for students transitioning into their early-careers and local communities receive practical solutions that address flooding and other climate-related challenges.
View Our Past Projects!
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Neighborhoods
Residents of Aberdeen Gardens, City of Hampton, and Wetlands Watch
Interested in Students Working on a Project in your Neighborhood?
Wetlands Watch’s neighborhoods initiative grew out of the Collaboratory pilot project, Chesterfield Heights, and paved the way for larger scale design work. Since 2014, alumni’s past efforts from the Collaboratory have helped bring critical funding, including the $120 million awarded to the City of Norfolk for the Ohio Creek Project. The initiative is currently engaging the Historic Aberdeen Gardens neighborhood in Hampton, VA to work toward implementation of the previous student designs. As we look forward, Wetlands Watch remains committed to developing neighborhood resilience for these neighborhoods and supporting their efforts to secure funding and implement climate-adaptation strategies.
Supported by generous funding from The Blocker Foundation and Virginia Sea Grant, the Aberdeen Gardens project emphasizes nature-based flood protection strategies, such as bioswales, rain gardens, and tree planting. Together, these partnerships aim to build long-term community resilience while respecting Aberdeen Gardens' rich history and environmental assets.
More details on our work below.
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