• Land Use Resources

Land Use and Built Environment Case Studies

This tab features case studies that describe examples of how adaptation has been incorporated into decisions about land use and the built environment.

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Great Lakes Green Streets Guidebook

August 2013

This guidebook, published by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), provides examples of roadways projects within the Great Lakes Watershed that utilize green infrastructure methods to improve water quality and reduce stormwater runoff. Developed as a complement to the Low Impact Development Manual for Michigan, the guidebook offers support to municipalities interested in planning, designing, and constructing green streets.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Alaska Repaving Roads Using Polystyrene Insulation

2013

The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) is rebuilding portions of roads in the northern regions of the state using a thick layer of insulation under the pavement in order to help prevent the thaw of underlying permafrost caused by heat transfer. Thawing permafrost, exacerbated by increasing average annual temperatures and heat transfer from paved roads, has caused structural instability to roadway infrastructure and buildings in Alaska. Portions of Goldstream Road near Fairbanks and the Dalton Highway further north are both being replaced with insulation board to ensure thermal stability of the roads with increasing temperatures under climate change scenarios.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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U.S. GAO Climate Change report: Future Federal Adaptation Efforts Could Better Support Local Infrastructure Decision-Makers – Transportation Findings

May 14, 2013

The U. S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report that analyzed findings on the impacts of climate change on the nation’s infrastructure, including roads and bridges, and provided recommendations for Executive action to improve the resilience of the nation’s infrastructure. To develop the report, the GAO analyzed National Research Council (NRC) and the U. S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) climate change assessments and reports, conducted interviews with professional and agency stakeholders, and went on site visits to seven locations where adaptation measures have been integrated into infrastructure project planning.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Minneapolis Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategies

May 2013

Created as part of a capstone project in Sustainability Planning at the University of Minnesota, with support from the Minneapolis Sustainability Office, this report depicts climate change impacts and potential adaptation strategies for Minneapolis, Minnesota. Adaptation goals are presented with recommended strategies, best practices, and case studies of these strategies implemented in other localities.

Resource Category: Planning

 

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Mapping Our Future: A Work Plan for Public Engagement and Equity in Climate Adaptation Planning in the San Francisco Bay Area

February 2013

This report presents a work plan for regional agencies to partner with community groups on climate adaptation, and support local governments in doing so as well. It also provides parallel recommendations for funders and community groups.

Author or Affiliated User: Kirsten Schwind

Resource Category: Education and Outreach

 

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Caltrans Devil’s Slide Realignment Project

2013

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) invested in an expensive relocation of the Devil’s Slide segment of Highway 1, a coastal highway linking Half Moon Bay and San Francisco in San Mateo County. The segment was repeatedly closed due to damage from rockslides and erosion. The state decided to relocate the road at additional up-front expense (approximately $342 million) to avoid the long-term maintenance costs of rebuilding the road repeatedly in its existing location. Although not specifically implemented in response to climate change, this project provides an example of how realignment may present a cost effective strategy for adapting transportation assets in the face of mounting maintenance costs from repeated damage due to climate-related events.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Necanicum River - Highway 101 Flood Mitigation

2013

A flood mitigation and habitat restoration project led by the North Coast Land Conservancy (NCLC) and funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) removed a levee built in the 1960s and reestablished the Necanicum River floodplain, mitigating flooding of Highway 101.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Tracking the Effects of Sea Level Rise in Georgia's Coastal Communities

December 14, 2012

This report focuses on the sea level rise impacts as well as adaptation opportunities for three counties along the Georgia coast (Chatham, Liberty, and McIntosh).  The result of a semester-long graduate planning studio at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the project's goal is to provide residents, decision-makers, and researchers with information that can help to proactively plan for future sea level rise (SLR).

Authors or Affiliated Users: Larry Keating, Dana Habeeb, Gillam Campbell, Marvin Clermont, Kathryn Colberg, Richelle Gosman, Anna Rose Harkness, Amy Moore Hugens, Paul Lorenc, Dzung Nguyen, Jennifer Yun, Joy Zhou

Resource Category: Assessments

 

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Pilsen Sustainable Streets (Chicago, Illinois Department of Transporation)

October 9, 2012

On October 9, 2012, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) completed the first phase of the Pilsen Sustainable Streets project, which uses permeable pavement and green infrastructure elements to address current and projected increases in temperature and precipitation. The sustainability project, described as the “greenest street in America,” consists of a two-mile stretch of Blue Island Avenue and Cermak Road located in the Pilsen neighborhood. The project features will help reduce flooding, manage stormwater, and reduce temperatures, allowing CDOT to address two potential climate impacts with the same project.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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The State of Adaptation in the Great Lakes Region

October 2012

This report presents the results of a survey conducted by EcoAdapt of the climate change adaptation activities in the Great Lakes region as of 2012. The report provides an overview of key climate change impacts affecting the region, and a review of the adaptation efforts, especially those focused on the natural and built environments as they relate to freshwater resources or the freshwater/terrestrial interface.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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