The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Students who are participating in the RISE project pose for a group photo with Chris Campany, executive director of the Windham Regional Commission following a recent midterm presentation at the Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst.
Honors and Awards

LARP Studio Recognized for Work in Flood-Prone Vermont Communities

A planning initiative focused on climate resilience in Vermont led by graduate students in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning (LARP) has received national recognition from the American Planning Association.

Julia Opel explains a flood-planning board game developed by the RISE Project
Master of regional planning and sustainability science candidate Julia Opel explains a flood-planning board game developed by the RISE project. Top: Members of the RISE project team pose for a group photo with Chris Campany, executive director of the Windham Regional Commission following a fall 2025 midterm presentation at the Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst.

The Deerfield River Valley RISE (Resilience in Shifting Environments) studio project earned a 2026 James Segedy Student Project Honor Award from the association’s Small Town and Rural (STaR) Planning Division. The annual award recognizes outstanding student work addressing planning challenges in small towns and rural communities.

Led by Assistant Professor Camille Barchers, the 15-student team partnered with the Windham Regional Commission to support four southern Vermont towns—Wilmington, Dover, Whitingham and Readsboro—as they confront increasing flood risks driven by climate change.

The Deerfield River Valley has faced repeated flooding, with the impacts of Tropical Storm Irene nearly 15 years ago still shaping local planning efforts. More frequent and intense storms, including heavy rainfall in 2023, have heightened the urgency for long-term resilience strategies.

The studio worked to bridge technical analysis and community engagement, developing tools to help residents and local leaders better understand flood risks and make informed decisions. Among their innovations is an interactive flood-planning board game that allows participants to simulate development choices and see how they affect flood outcomes during extreme weather events.

The initiative also addresses interconnected issues facing the region, including housing shortages, economic pressures and environmental change. The Deerfield River, one of the most heavily dammed rivers in the country, presents additional challenges related to stormwater management and erosion.

The award will be formally presented April 27 at the American Planning Association's National Planning Conference in Detroit.

The James Segedy Student Project Honor Award recognizes the growing role of student-led, community-engaged research in addressing complex environmental challenges, particularly in small towns navigating the impacts of climate change.