Illustrated Boundary Chain Model

Boundary organizations coproduce climate information by working in the space between the organizations that produce the information (for example, universities) and the organizations that use it to make decisions (for example, city managers). In a boundary chain model, the organizations that use information are connected, not just to producers, but also to each other, like links in a chain. This configuration enables organizations to collaborate to exchange information and customize it to fit their different needs. The diagram below uses the case of the Great Lakes Climate Adaptation Network (GLCAN) to illustrate how organizations collaborated to develop a template to assess climate vulnerability in Great Lakes cities.

Click on each link in the chain to learn more about that organizations role in helping cities adapt to climate change.