What if planning for climate impacts boosted economic returns? by GreaterPlaces
Pitch
What if planning could bring together strategic/managed retreat and economic redevelopment? This proposal looks at planning for both.
Description
Summary
Climate and urban planners use the term strategic (or managed) retreat to describe relocation away from high risk areas. This term, however, strikes a negative, defeatist tone contrary to our country's can-do spirit. What if strategic retreat were rebranded as a strategy to maintain shoreline access while boosting long term economic activity?
One of the main concerns with adaptive measures and fortification is timing. Erosion, storm surge and sea level rise are impossible to factor into near-term local government forecasts. Local governments are loathe to propose retreat for their most lucrative tax base: hotels, parking lots, restaurants, condominiums and supporting infrastructure.
However, local officials are aware of the costs of inaction: human life, safety, costs and safeguarding natural assets. Perhaps the greatest fear is loss of insurance, funds and recovery options should disaster strike.
Our proposal is based on a simple premise for vulnerable shoreline communities: what if some uses could be moved inland in the near term for even greater economic benefit while retaining/enhancing public access to shorelines?
We propose new "Reach the Beach" jumping off points that are strategically located out of the highest surge zones but close enough to provide access to beaches and waterfronts via bike, transit and other shared-use modes of transport.
These new investment zones (many of which are already identified in city redevelopment plans) would contain enhanced transit to the shore, higher density housing for 2nd homes and workforce housing, as well as climate-ready site design for buildings landscaping, infrastructure, transportation and disaster response staging. These are actually amenities sought by today's home buyers and renters.
In summary, we propose aligning smart climate planning with today's market trends.
Category of the action
Mitigation/Adaptation, Changing public attitudes about climate change
What actions do you propose?
This action would create a new category of planning for small area plans needed for strategic retreat. While many redevelopment areas already exist, this action would create higher priority for planning and investment, as well as a suite of planning objectives. Planning for both retreat areas and receiving areas would include:
- Economic studies and policies
- Site selection
- Transportation plans
- Land use planning
- Infrastructure
- Real estate product mix
- Eco-Districts
- Pre- and post disaster staging areas
- Financial & insurance instruments
- Local-state-federal relationship
- Regulatory and legal framework
This proposal will engage experts on the policy+zoning+insurance+real estate product mix most appropriate for sending and receiving zones. For example, beach areas and private entities may want to phase out condominiums for time shares, which avoid a total loss by allowing ownership to shift to other units.
The proposal will also engage existing efforts such as the SPUR's Ocean Beach Master Plan (moving a highway and wastewater treatment plant) and Rebuilding Together (Hurricane Sandy response). Relocating roads, rail and pipes inland creates new opportunities (and challenges) for existing communities. Managed retreat needs to fully understand how to successfully move and improve infrastructure while orchestrating the development, redevelopment and open space portfolio.
Finally, redevelopment can be fickle if demand for current and future real estate is not present. In these cases, cities may need to use tactical or lean interventions. These are small scale improvements intended to bring value or to test and adapt new concepts. Using economic and transportation feasibility studies, cities can zero in on strategic locations for improvements and investment.
Who will take these actions?
Key actors exist at several levels:
- Federal Government - Disaster response at the federal level is under pressure with a growing chorus demanding spending cuts in a high risk areas, coupled with growing populations in the most vulnerable cities. As the Federal Government requires increasing preparation to mitigate risk. these areas of strategic retreat offer a win-win and potential new policy avenue.
- State Governments - States oversee transportation and infrastructure spending and policy. They are necessary stakeholders when discussing changes to infrastructure.
- Local Governments - Local governments approve zoning and local infrastructure plans/implementation/maintenance. Local governments are also closest to pre- and post-disaster planning and response.
- Landowners - These stakeholders are essential in both retreat and receiving zones. They are perhaps the most important given property rules, economic incentives and power over ultimate land use changes.
- Planning/Community Development Associations - these groups distribute information on the latest in land use planning and community development. They are essential communications networks.
- Tax and ratepayers - Tax and ratepayers bear the ultimate cost of decisions, and as such need to be at the helm of decisions
Where will these actions be taken?
These actions are required wherever there are shorelines at risk from climate impacts and the potential for relocation inland: beachfronts, shorelines, riverbanks, tidal zones.
What are other key benefits?
The main benefit is the ability to achieve positive economic returns in the short term no matter when climate impacts occur. The retreat zones also build in several activities related to climate action such as reduced carbon footprint, transportation alternatives, and use of already developed land.
In the US, one benefit may come from proactive planning as a hedge against property rights claims. There are also benefits in costs avoided with climate change associated damage. Relocating assets are likely to come at a lower cost than facing a total loss.
What are the proposal’s costs?
Costs vary based on location. In retreat areas, there are likely costs of litigation and property buyouts. In receiving areas, increased costs associated with infrastructure, fortification, construction and transit service are needed by the public sector. The private sector will also bear relocation costs.
Costs are lowest where receiving areas are already in planning and implementation phases, and shorelines in harm's way are largely undeveloped. Cost will be high where landowners can successfully execute legal claims.
There also may be recovery costs if the receiving zones are also highly vulnerable to storm impacts and surge. This is likely a case-by-case assessment.
Time line
The time line can be relatively short. For cities undertaking redevelopment, action can occur on time lines concurrent with redevelopment (next five years).
For some cities, the medium time horizon is more appropriate to plan and install new infrastructure or take legal steps to move assets away form shorelines.
Related proposals
Our proposal ciuts across several proposals - and contests:
Disaster Risk Reduction makes Sustainable Development for Urban Resilience - https://www.climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans/-/plans/contestId/1300501/planId/1307114
Crossing the threshold: an integrated approach to transformational change https://www.climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans/-/plans/contestId/1300208/planId/2903
References
Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction: Issues and Challenges edited by Rajib Shaw, Juan M. Pulhin,
SPUR - Ocean Beach Master Plan:www.spur.org@planoceanbeach
Dena Belzer - Getting it Built: Overcoming Implementation Barriers to Smart Growth, New Partners for Smart Growth conference, 2014
By:
GreaterPlaces
