The Town of Barrington has earned two major accolades in 2025 for its innovative efforts in climate resilience and sustainable planning.
The Town of Barrington has received the 2025 Planning for Resilience and Sustainability Award from the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-RI) for its Ready & Resilient Barrington climate action plan. Adopted in October 2024, the plan outlines 42 strategies to reduce emissions and adapt to climate impacts like flooding and extreme heat. It was developed with substantial community input and serves as a model for municipal climate planning. Learn more: https://planning-org-uploaded-media.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/2025_APA_RI_Award_Winners-_text.pdf
The Town of Barrington’s Walker Farm Recreation and Resilience Improvement Project will be recognized as an Outstanding Smart Growth project at the 2025 Smart Growth Awards on Thursday, May 8th. The event will feature six other award winners and keynote speaker Bill Bartholomew. Learn more and/or register at growsmartri.org.
Walker Farm’s project serves as a regional model for climate resilience. It features restored habitats, expanded water access, resilient infrastructure, improved food production facilities, and enhanced recreation and education spaces. The design was developed collaboratively over two years with input from user groups, Town Boards, and State and Federal agencies.