Advancing Coastal Resilience Through Collaboration and Innovation

As climate change accelerates, coastal resilience has become one of the most important challenges facing the real estate industry. Rising sea levels, stronger hurricanes, coastal erosion, flooding, and land subsidence are no longer future concerns—they are shaping today’s investment decisions, development strategies, and public policy.

Recognizing the urgency of these issues, the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Southeast Florida/Caribbean convened an expert webinar bringing together leaders in architecture, engineering, finance, and real estate to explore practical strategies for building more resilient coastal communities.

The program highlighted how resilient design, engineering innovation, and new financial tools can help developers and investors better protect assets while creating communities capable of adapting to a changing climate.

A Multidisciplinary Perspective

The webinar featured a distinguished panel of experts representing multiple disciplines critical to resilient development.

Stefan Al, architect, urban designer, and author of Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise: Green and Gray Strategies, opened the discussion by examining how cities around the world are responding to climate change through a combination of engineered infrastructure and nature-based solutions. His presentation demonstrated that successful adaptation requires balancing traditional “gray” infrastructure with “green” systems that work alongside natural environments.

Edgar Westerhof, Vice President and North America Adaptation Solution Lead at Arcadis, discussed engineering approaches that enable coastal developments to better withstand future environmental conditions. His presentation focused on integrating resilience into project planning rather than reacting after disasters occur.

Isabel de Caires, Director of Investment Banking at CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, examined the financial dimension of resilience. She explored how lenders and investors increasingly evaluate climate risk when underwriting projects and how resilient developments may gain access to more favorable financing and long-term capital.

The webinar concluded with an interactive discussion in which participants exchanged ideas on the future of resilient real estate and the evolving responsibilities of developers, investors, engineers, designers, and policymakers.

Why Coastal Resilience Matters

For AG&T, coastal resilience is not simply an environmental issue—it is an investment imperative.

Throughout the Caribbean, many of the region’s most valuable hospitality and mixed-use developments are located directly along coastlines that are increasingly exposed to climate-related risks. Successful projects must now consider resilience as a core component of feasibility, design, financing, construction, operations, and long-term asset management.

Climate adaptation is becoming a competitive advantage. Developers who understand these risks early can improve project performance, reduce long-term operating costs, strengthen insurance positioning, protect asset values, and enhance investor confidence.

AG&T’s Commitment

AG&T has long advocated for integrating resilience into every stage of the development process. Across more than 55 projects throughout Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean markets, the firm has consistently promoted strategies that balance financial performance with environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability.

The firm continues to collaborate with organizations such as the Urban Land Institute, engineers, architects, financial institutions, policymakers, and climate experts to advance practical solutions for resilient development.

As climate challenges continue to reshape the hospitality and real estate industries, AG&T remains committed to helping clients identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and create projects that are not only economically successful, but also capable of thriving for generations to come.

Island Press has generously offered a 30% discount on the book Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise: Green and Gray Strategies by Stefan Al to all webinar registrants!