It is Not the Same NailMoving Resilience Forward in

Northeast Coastal CitiesCurt Spalding, Professor of the Practice

ContributorsSiddhi Nadkarni, Brown University, Health and Human Biology and Economics

Claire Bekker, Brown University, Geology-BiologyDevyn Collado-Nicol, Brown University, Environment and Enterprise

Themes

● Mid-sized Coastal Cities have been managing decline for decades.● The coastal space in New England cities is human created and can be

recreated.● Work in larger cities -100 Resilient Cities and “Rebuild by Design” offers a

new path for building both social and ecological resilience● Integrating social and ecological objectives offer new opportunities for

revitalization of both ecosystem and public health,.

We Start with Nature and Public Health

…...“The enjoyment of scenery employs the mind without fatigue and yet exercises it; tranquilizes it and yet enlivens it; and thus, through the influence of the mind over the body gives the effect of refreshing rest and reinvigoration to the whole system.”

Frederick Law Olmsted

Attention Restoration Theory (Ming Kuo)

○ Lack of access to nature causes mental fatigue → increased difficulty in handling social situations

○ Chicago public housing developments: Individuals who did not have access to nature were found to have more trouble handling conflict

○ Police records show fewer instances of violence in communities with more nature

Kuo, Ming. Interview by Shankar Vedantam. "Our Better Nature ." Hidden Brain, NPR , 10 Sept. 2018.Accessed 6 Dec. 2018.

Physiological Effects of Nature Greenery can improve health outcomes

○ Acute urinary tract infections ○ Anxiety disorder ○ Atopy (allergies, asthma, eczema) ○ ADHD ○ Birth outcomes ○ Cancer ○ Cardiovascular disease ○ Depression ○ Diabetes ○ Healing post surgery○ Infectious disease ○ Migraines ○ Respiratory disease ○ Vertigo

Kuo, Ming. "How might contact with nature promote human health? Promising mechanisms and a possible central pathway." Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 6, Aug. 2015. Accessed 6 Dec. 2018.

Nature, Resiliency, and Sustainability:Three Tools for the the 21st Century Urban Climate Adaptation

● Integrating nature into climate change resiliency (via green infrastructure) can improve human health!

○ Implementation in vulnerable communities can reduce negative socioeconomic determinants of health

■ Targeting underlying social vulnerability and increasing community engagement

○ Offers measurable improvements through positive health outcomes

○ Provides the sustainability needed for effective resilient solutions

Green Infrastructure

Before the Storms (Katina , Irene, Sandy)

Mitigation Planning, where it happened, was limited.

After The Storms

FEMA Mitigation - Proto-typical 20th Century Planning Model

● Rigid Process - Must follow FEMA format● Formal Engagement Process with Stakeholders ● Generally focused on vulnerability of built infrastructure

FEMA Hazard Mitigation Planning Process

● Used by State, Tribal and Local Governments o Identify risks/vulnerabilities associated with

natural disasters, develop strategies to deal with potential hazard events

● Phase 1: Organize Planning Process and Resources

○ Requires opportunities for public comment● Public and Stakeholder input is not

structured into the mitigation planning process

“Hazard Mitigation Planning Process.” Emergency Support Function Annexes | FEMA.gov, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-planning-process.

FEMA Mitigation Plans● New Bedford’s 2016 Mitigation Plan

○ Emphasis on natural weather events affecting whole population■ Not specific to environmental justice communities

○ Focus on engineering solutions & distributed among departments (i.e. Department Public Infrastructure, Emergency Management)

● STAPLEE method - Ask for community approval, but not input throughout the process○ Social – Assesses whether it will be socially accepted within the community.○ Technical – Assesses whether technically feasible and whether it will help to reduce losses in the

long term.○ Administrative – Assesses the community’s capabilities for carrying out projects.○ Political – Assesses local and state political support for project.○ Legal – Assesses whether state and local laws will allow for implementation of project.○ Economic – Assesses the cost-effectiveness and sources of funding for project.○ Environmental – Assesses how the project will affect the environment.

City of New Bedford, Massachusetts. “City of New Bedford: Local Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update.” City of New Bedford: Local Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, 2016.

Integrating Nature-Based solutions ● Storm Smart Cities

○ Created by the EPA as a guide for cities to incorporate green infrastructure into their FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plans

● Green infrastructure can○ Reduce stormwater runoff by absorbing it○ Mitigate flooding○ Prevent water pollution as runoff collects trash,

bacteria & heavy metals

STORM SMART CITIES: Integrating Green Infrastructure into Local Hazard Mitigation Plans. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Mar. 2018, www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-04/documents/storm_smart_cities_508_final_document_3_26_18.pdf.

Generally FEMA Mitigation Planning Improved but:Eligible Mitigation Projects

● Property Acquisition and Structure Demolition● Property Acquisition and Structure Relocation● Structure Elevation● Mitigation Reconstruction● Dry Floodproofing of Historic Residential Structures● Dry Floodproofing of Non-residential Structures● Generators● Localized Flood Risk Reduction Projects● Non-Localized Flood Risk Reduction Projects● Structural Retrofitting of Existing Buildings● Non-structural Retrofitting of Existing● Buildings and Facilities● Safe Room Construction● Wind Retrofit for One- and Two-Family Residences● Infrastructure Retrofit

• Soil Stabilization• Wildfire Mitigation• Post-Disaster Code Enforcement• Advance Assistance• 5 Percent Initiative Projects*• Aquifer and Storage Recovery**• Flood Diversion and Storage**• Floodplain and Stream Restoration**• Green Infrastructure**

Miscellaneous/Other**

2. Hazard Mitigation Planning3. Technical Assistance4. Management Costs

Resilience• Complex Adaptive

Systems - "are systems that have a large numbers of components, often called agents, that interact and adapt or learn.

• To be resilient the system must be sustainable. To be sustainable the system must be resilient.

● PRINCIPLE 1:Maintain diversity and redundancy

● PRINCIPLE 2:Manage connectivity

● PRINCIPLE 3:Manage slow variables and feedbacks

● PRINCIPLE 4:Foster complex adaptive systems thinking

● PRINCIPLE 5: Encourage learning

● PRINCIPLE 6:Broaden participation

● PRINCIPLE 7:Promote polycentric governance systems

New Planning Model Emerge in 100 Resilient Cities and “Sandy” Cities Based on Socioecological Systems Theory

What is ‘Community Resilience’?

Local Knowledge Community Networks &

Relationships Communication

Health

Governance & Leadership

Resources Economic Investment

PreparednessMental Outlook

Patel, Sonny S., et al. "What Do We Mean by 'Community Resilience'? A Systematic Literature Review of How It Is Defined in the Literature." PLOS Currents, vol. 9, 1 Feb. 2017. Accessed 3 Dec. 2018.

Community Engagement Best Practice - 21st Century

● Greater effort to raise awareness within the community on the inevitable perils of climate change, presently and in the future

● Movement to allow community to have a greater stake in the future ● Sustainability is built through an involved public ● New focus/commitment to most vulnerable parts of community, with

emphasis on racism, inequality, and access to resources

Community Engagement Equity Addressing

Vulnerability Sustainability Resilience

Using New (21st Century) Approaches/Tools for Urban Climate Adaptation and Resilience Building:

In the Northeast Big Cities and “Sandy” Cities:

● Climate Ready Boston● OneNYC● Rebuild by Design (Sandy Cities) - Bridgeport and

Hoboken

http://www.rebuildbydesign.org/resources/videos/why-we-rebuild-by-design

“Bostonians must first understand the likely impacts of climate change in order to plan for a strong, resilient future.”

● Using data and real implications to motivate the community through clear visuals and impactful graphics

● Climate Resilience Principle #2: Incorporate local involvement in design and decision making.

● Integrating community resources, local partnerships, stakeholders, and the public

● A focus on social vulnerability

Community Engagement: Climate Ready Boston

"Climate Ready Boston." City of Boston, 18 Oct. 2018. Accessed 26 Nov. 2018.

Social Vulnerability ● “The disproportionate susceptibility of some social groups to the impacts of

hazards, including death, injury, loss, or disruption of livelihood” ○ Older adults ○ Children ○ People of color ○ People with limited English proficiency ○ People with low-to-no income ○ People with Disabilities ○ Cases of Medical Illness

● 21st century models strive to increase engagement among the socially vulnerable by enhancing connectivity and resource networks

"Climate Ready Boston." City of Boston, 18 Oct. 2018. Accessed 26 Nov. 2018.

Climate Ready Boston● 5 Layers of Climate Readiness

○ Layer 3: Protected Shorelines offers green infrastructure solutions, such as living shorelines, wetlands, and dune landscapes to prevent chronic flooding

○ Layer 4: Resilient Infrastructure■ Strategy 8: Expand the use of

green infrastructure and other natural systems to manage stormwater, mitigate heat, and provide additional benefits.

“Climate Ready Boston." City of Boston, 18 Oct. 2018. Accessed 5 Dec. 2018.

Thanks to work in 100 Resilient Cities and “Sandy” Cities we have an emerging model for Climate Adaptation that aspires

to address risk and improve equity and public health.

Is it a model that will work in mid-sized coastal cities?

Challenges:

● Longterm Decline and continued economic weakness● Capacity: Too much current and future debt. Local, State,

Federal - All levels facing unsustainable debt burdens. ● Capability: Unstable government leadership. Limitations

of resource constrained planning offices.● Fragmented stakeholders: in some cities, community

group leadership is not willing to commit time and learning to more holistic approaches.

Older Water Infrastructure in the Northeast● Massachusetts’s Water Infrastructure Finance

Commission○ Reported on the lack of investment for the state’s aging water

infrastructure system○ Last major investments in water infrastructure were in the

1970s and 80s ■ Plants are reaching the end of their service life

○ Funding deficit for water infrastructure will reach $21.4 billion by 2032

■ Additional $18 billion needed for stormwater investment

Massachusetts’s Water Infrastructure: Toward Financial Sustainability. Water Infrastructure Finance Commission, 7 Feb. 2012.

Wastewater Infrastructure Vulnerability● Coastal wastewater infrastructure is

particularly vulnerable to climate change○ Heavy precipitation and storm surges can damage

and flood coastal treatment plants○ Flooding= submerged outfall pipes, inhibiting

discharge and causing backups● Southeastern NE (RI and MA) coastal

wastewater plants are shown, such as Narragansett Bay Commission (Providence, RI) and Fall River Wastewater Treatment

Kessler, Rebecca. “Stormwater Strategies: Cities Prepare Aging Infrastructure for Climate Change.” Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 119, no. 12, 2011, doi:10.1289/ehp.119-a514.

Fields Point Wastewater Treatment Plant – Providence, RI

West Haven, CT – Wastewater Treatment Plant

Especially Challenging Emerging Climate Conditions● Increased precipitation disproportionately

affects the Northeast○ Between 1958 and 2011 the number of days with

very heavy precipitation increased by 71%● Flooding

○ Heavier precipitation and storm surges will contribute to more frequent, damaging floods

○ 100-year flood (1 in 100 chance of occurring any given year) expected to occur every 2-3 years in Boston by 2050 and every other year by 2100

“EPA New England Regional Climate Adaptation Plan.” EPA New England Regional Climate Adaptation Plan, 2014.

Emerging Climate Conditions● Sea Level Rise● Coastal NE will exceed global sea level

rise due to local land subsidence○ 2012 USGS study found a hotspot of sea level

rise between Cape Hatteras and Cape Cod= 3-4 times the global sea level rise

● Boston’s sea level rise: 24 to 72 inches by 2100, depending on the melting rate of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets

Sallenger, Asbury H., et al. “Hotspot of Accelerated Sea-Level Rise on the Atlantic Coast of North America.” Nature Climate Change, vol. 2, no. 12, 2012, pp. 884–888., doi:10.1038/nclimate1597.

Hotspot of sea level rise on the North Atlantic coast, evidence by SLR

increases from 1970-2009

Socioeconomic Conditions Related to Vulnerability● Most populations along the

coast of these older New England cities have high rates of poverty relative to more inland neighborhoods.

○ Concerns for ability to cope with flooding

● Fall River○ Aging infrastructure and water

treatment facilities are located in these high-poverty-rate regions (red region on this map)

New Bedford: A Brief Case Study

Coastal vs. Inland Comparison

Flooding Risks

● Map of flooding from the Hurricane of 1938

● Most flooding occurred where the highest rates of poverty exist today

Northeast Coastal City: Planning Tools● Partnerships

○ Between governments/local municipalities, nonprofits, activist groups, businesses/corporate interests, citizenry, insurance

○ Insurance and Community Rating System (CRS) ■ Build resilient infrastructure → lower insurance premiums

● Eg, flood barriers, seawalls, keeping waterways clean ● Data/Mapping Tools

○ Floodline Mapper ○ Coastal Erosion Maps ○ Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) ○ MyCoast (RI tool for the public to post images of visible changes in coastline/infrastructure;

form of community engagement)

"Community-Driven Climate Resilience Planning: A Framework (2017)." Adaptation Clearinghouse, Georgetown Climate Center. Accessed 26 Nov. 2018.PREP-RI: Providing Resilience Education for Planning Preparedness in Rhode Island, 2018. Accessed 26 Nov. 2018.US Climate Resilience Toolkit, 11 Dec. 2017. Accessed 26 Nov. 2018.

Cities Pushing Community-based Adaptation● Communities

○ Bridgeport, CT■ Used by the US Climate Resilience Toolkit as example of building resilience■ Organized Climate Preparedness Workshops in 2012 to engage community in identifying

vulnerabilities and their solutions ■ Vulnerability Assessment and preparedness

○ Groton, CT ■ Right across the River from Fall River ■ Hailed by CT as a “Model Process for Communities in the Northeast”

○ Mattapoisett, MA■ Right next door to New Bedford■ Outreach and education initiatives■ Historical research and analysis

• FEMA - Emergency Response and Mitigation Planning• Funding States and Municipalities planning• Limited funding for implementation• Incentives built into Flood Insurance Program - Community Rating

system • NOAA - Aimed at socio/ecological resilience• EPA - Sustainability/water infrastructure• US Climate Resilience Toolkit - https://toolkit.climate.gov/#steps

Federal Programs that Touch Communities

States Resilience Programs:

• MA and CT - more emphasis on social vulnerability

• RI – emphasis on modeling and of local gov’t.

Closing Points:

● Climate Adaptation can enhance community-level connection to nature

● New holistic models grounded in socio-ecological thinking are opportunities to build resilience and improve public health

● With limited capacity and capability climate adaptation in midsized coastal cities is much more challenging

● Without proactive investment in capacity and capability by Federal and States government, an emerging climate adaptation “practice gap” will worsen the social economic gap between large and mid-sized cities in the Northeast.