Protecting Communities With Coastal Resilience Projects

STEVE HENDERSHOT

Rising sea levels pose an existential threat to coastlines, and governments around the world must act in response. As teams work to mitigate risks, these projects can deliver additional value, transforming coastal communities so that they’re better than ever.

CATHERINE MCCANDLESS

Addressing climate change by building resilience has the potential to unify people and improve our day-to-day quality of life in so many ways. We can enhance the reliability and the security of public transportation and build better infrastructure for other modes of travel like cycling and walking. We can improve public health in cities by creating new parks and green spaces and increasing the urban tree canopy. We can also harmonize our relationship between the built and natural environment[s] by restoring degraded ecological resources like wetlands and conservation land. So I see climate change as an issue that presents an opportunity to transform so many aspects of our society that are long overdue for change.

NARRATOR

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STEVE HENDERSHOT

This is Projectified^®. I’m Steve Hendershot.

All across the globe, communities and ecosystems are contending with the effects of climate change, but as water levels rise, the world’s coastlines are especially at risk. By 2050, a billion people will face the risk of coastal flooding, according to a new report by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. And the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group projects that by 2050, it will cost coastal cities 1 trillion U.S. dollars every year to address the issues stemming from those rising seas.

So the race is on to head off these challenges with projects ranging from more resilient waterfront buildings and infrastructure to floating cities such as the project in the Maldives that earned a spot among PMI’s 2021 Most Influential Projects.

Today, we’ll speak to several of the leaders of these projects, beginning with two team leads for a 400 million U.S. dollar project that aims to fortify the coastline in Bangladesh. I spoke with Swarna Kazi and Ignacio Urrutia, both senior disaster risk management specialists at the World Bank.

MUSICAL TRANSITION

STEVE HENDERSHOT

Swarna, coastal communities are facing rising sea levels and extreme weather events. What projects are you seeing teams execute to deal with these threats?

SWARNA KAZI

There’s a wide variety of opportunities to mitigate threats, and these can be through more innovative solutions, which show a lot of potential. So, just to give a little bit of a background, in the past 50 years in Bangladesh, there’s been a hundredfold decrease in the fatalities from cyclone events. So it’s quite incredible, this journey toward coastal and climate resilience. In terms of mitigation, just for example, using advanced forecasting community-based early warning systems, also cyclone shelters, they show how innovative, non-structural solutions can help reduce casualties in the coastal zones. 

And then you can also have the various structural solutions. Keys for better success in this would be integrating these structural solutions with, say, a more natural environment and see how the forces of nature can actually work with us. And, just to give an example, you could work with soft solutions like reforestation of mangroves in the coastal areas that can reduce the wave attacks on the coastlines. So, these elements together are actually more adaptable and flexible to the rising sea levels. And if you’re able to combine some of the more traditional solutions to these more innovative and smart solutions, you are able to get a better result.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

So, looking at Bangladesh specifically, it has a decades-long history of extreme weather events like cyclones, which now are being exacerbated by the climate crisis. How would you compare the risks that you saw previously to what you’re seeing now?

SWARNA KAZI

So, on this one, you are correct, the most prominent weather-related risk[s] in coastal Bangladesh are cyclones. And these cause these high storm surges and very extreme wind speeds all along the coastal area. The other threats that we also have here are salinity intrusion and coastal erosion. So, over time, these risks, they’ve been mitigated, say, with embankments, riverbank protection, improved drainage systems, cyclone shelters, as I was saying, also this forecasting community-based early warning, and other types of initiatives. Over the last 60 years or so, around 6,000 kilometers of earthen embankments have been constructed. The riverbanks, they’ve been protected with revetment works to protect against erosion.

Under the coastal embankment improvement project, what is happening is that prior, the embankments had been raised up to the daily tidal level, but with the initiation of this project, they took into account climate change and also storm surges during cyclones. So it is just taking climate change into account and then seeing how you would update your designs accordingly.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

Phase one of the project involves developing a combination of nature-based and structural mitigations along a huge swath of the coast. You’re working with the government of Bangladesh as well as local communities. How do you determine the mix of mitigation strategies that are right for individual sections along the coast?

SWARNA KAZI

First, you have preparatory studies that inform any of this decision-making about what kind of mitigation measures you take. You do these kind of state-of-the-art modeling techniques. You also look at your past programs—what is the evidence that you have there? What is the underlying work and outcomes that have happened? You also look across the world and the types of mitigation measures that affect various kind[s] of climate-related hazards and impacts. A different combination of measures [is] evaluated, and you compare it in terms of the costs and benefits, the environmental impact, social impacts, and you try to have some kind of optimal set of interventions. It is really quite a complicated and complex response, but at the end of the day, based on all of these elements, on the various data that you have, the ultimate decision is coming from the government on what is the final mix of mitigation measures.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

Ignacio, in addition to these studies, you’re also taking stakeholder input into account, speaking with government agencies and these coastal communities. How are you making sure all these inputs harmonize into a cohesive, broader strategy—especially considering phase one is just the first step in a series of coastal resilience projects?

IGNACIO URRUTIA

From a high-level point of view, the approach taken by the project and by the government of Bangladesh—as Swarna was mentioning—to ensure that everything fits together, is to look [at] everything through a lens of risk—the level of risk for assets and for the population. And what we’re trying to achieve at the end of the day is to reduce these risks to an acceptable level for these communities. What type of economic activities, what type of risk are these communities exposed to, and then everything else [is] put together into a decision-making framework that ends up coming up with interventions that are effective also from a cost-benefit point of view.

Successful implementation of this project depends on many factors, starting of course with a very competent implementing agency. [The] implementing partner in this case is the government of Bangladesh. And that bleeds into planning, communication, and an ability to really adapt to the realities on the ground that keep changing, and to do that while keeping a clear line of sight to the ultimate objective, which is protecting the communities in these areas from floods and from storm surge from cyclones.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

What impact has this project had on some of these coastal communities?

IGNACIO URRUTIA

One of the biggest changes that you can see in these communities is the agriculture productivity. For example, during one of our last field visits, we were talking to a family, and they were mentioning that before these embankments were completed, they only could have one cropping season. So that meant that during the other times, to complement their income, the husband had to go to the city to do additional work, leaving the family, leaving all the responsibilities of the household with the woman. This really changed the opportunities that this family had now that they could have two cropping seasons, and in some areas, they even mentioned three.

These are the kinds of outcomes or the differences that these interventions make in these areas. And again, this is a very particular story about a family that relies on agriculture, but this extends to many others that you can imagine that when you live in an area that you know is now more protected, the area is more valuable. The types of investments that you can make in this place are different because you know that these are areas that are more protected, so your assets are less at risk.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

What challenges and opportunities have you discovered along the way that are most significant but also maybe different than you had anticipated in the planning phase?

IGNACIO URRUTIA

There are many challenges, and one of the ones from my point of view that was perhaps not sufficiently understood was the dynamic nature of the ground. For example, these are large infrastructure investments, so as you can imagine, that involves doing the designs, doing the surveying of the ground, planning, doing the procurement for the works, etc. So, between the time that you start making these decisions and designing and the time that shovels are hitting the ground, maybe there was erosion, maybe there [were] new areas that need protection that were not as evident when it started.

So it really requires this constant process of adapting to a changing physical environment that makes things quite challenging. This is something that has required the project really builds into its implementation this constant system of monitoring reality on the ground and having this process to adjust. And, to an extent, this also became not only an opportunity but an advantage during COVID period because these systems also had to rely on remote tools that then were very useful when we had very limited access to the sites. But we could rely on some of these systems and tools to monitor what was happening on the ground to also use them as supervision tools during the COVID period.

SWARNA KAZI

Land is very scarce in Bangladesh. And again, we had known that, but the whole process of land acquisition and resettlement is a very complex and bureaucratic process. It was a major challenge in this project, and I would foresee [it] in future infrastructure projects as well.

The other area that I think is something that we need to think about a little bit more is on the operation and maintenance of these embankment systems. There’s an opportunity to see again what you were saying a little bit earlier on how local communities are part of the project planning and implementation, really to prevent any unintended outcomes and having a strong local community understanding how to do the minor O&M [operation and maintenance] works, have a good understanding of the paperwork that they need for the land acquisition processes. How the communities work together to see how they can essentially support the implementation of the programs within the available time and budget.

STEVE HENDERSHOT

Looking back, what are some of the top lessons you’ve learned? What are the takeaways that will influence how you approach future coastal resilience projects?

SWARNA KAZI

Something that we’ve been saying really throughout is this [is a] learning process. So it’s really seeing where are the bottlenecks and how we can address those aspects. It’s on a continuum, and that’s really how we’re seeing it—as a challenge and opportunity for future program design, preparation, implementation.

IGNACIO URRUTIA

As you’re in the middle of a project or an intervention, sometimes it’s a little bit difficult to see the big shifts. But as you move and you have a little bit of distance, for example, these remarkable achievements on lives saved, these are not something that happened overnight. It happened over almost more than 50 years of interventions.

And now, for example, if I had to say a big difference from when we started implementing this project to now, I do see the role of technology and how much it’s being used from these monitoring tools, using app-based monitoring tools, using drones to look at construction. Just looking a few years back, it’s something that we have not seen. And this allows [us] not only to be able to make better decisions and to make better analyses, it really increases the speed at which we can make decisions, which is critical in the context of these changing environments.

MUSICAL TRANSITION

STEVE HENDERSHOT

Coastal flooding poses a global threat, but also a very local one that endangers not only individual cities around the world but also the character of specific neighborhoods within those cities. To that end, cities such as Boston are adopting a community-specific approach to mitigation. Projectified^®’s Hannah LaBelle spoke with Catherine McCandless, climate change and environmental planning project manager at the city of Boston Environment Department in the U.S. Catherine leads coastal resilience projects as part of Climate Ready Boston, an initiative to help the city plan for the impacts of climate change and build a resilient future.

MUSICAL TRANSITION

HANNAH LABELLE

Let’s talk about the coastal resilience projects that you’re leading in a couple of different Boston neighborhoods. Give me an overview of what the projects entail, the work your team is doing and the projects’ goals.

CATHERINE MCCANDLESS

Like many cities, Boston is a city of neighborhoods that each have distinct physical and demographic characteristics, historic context, and varying social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities. Since the release of the Climate Ready Boston report in 2016, the city has completed neighborhood-scale planning studies for Boston’s five coastal neighborhoods to take a closer look at the localized impacts of flooding and specific strategies that could be undertaken to mitigate coastal flood risk. The final reports resulting from each coastal resilience planning study include an assessment of coastal flood risk resulting from sea level rise and storm surge, an evaluation of possible flood protection measures, and an implementation plan for further developing the recommended strategies.

So, we’re currently working on the second phase of planning for the neighborhoods of East Boston and Charlestown. The main goal of this phase two study is to evaluate coastal flood risk in the areas of the neighborhoods that were not covered in phase one and identify flood protection strategies that effectively mitigate projected flood risk through the next 50 years. And what I find most interesting about this project is that East Boston and Charlestown have very unique physical characteristics from one another. So, for example, Charlestown’s waterfront within our coastal study area is highly developed with many historic, commercial and residential buildings that are built out really close to the water’s edge on piers and sea walls, as well as active ports. By contrast, the East Boston waterfront within our current study area includes a mix of water-dependent industrial uses, a community beach and one of the last remaining salt marshes in the city. So, that being said, we have been evaluating flood protection strategies that make sense across these diverse typographies and uses and ecosystems, that respond to the feedback and priorities that we’ve heard throughout our community engagement. Once this plan is complete, the city will have developed coastal resilience plans for all of Boston’s 47-mile shoreline.

HANNAH LABELLE

During this planning phase, you’re looking at different solutions to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Could you share a couple of examples of what those solutions could be?

CATHERINE MCCANDLESS

So even though these neighborhoods are very different from each other in a lot of ways, residents from both have expressed really similar priorities for the future of their waterfront. So, in addition to wanting to protect their homes and community assets and critical infrastructure from flooding, both communities share a desire to preserve and enhance public access to and along the waterfront. In Boston, we’re fortunate to have this incredible amenity called the Harborwalk that wraps much of the Boston shoreline and provides publicly accessible walking paths throughout the city. However, the Harborwalk doesn’t extend to parts of our study area in East Boston and isn’t in the best condition in parts of our study area in Charlestown. So, in terms of the types of projects that we might be implementing in East Boston, a key goal is to expand access and connectivity to parts of the neighborhood where the waterfront is currently inaccessible. And in Charlestown, a key goal is to preserve and enhance the historic waterfront so it can continue to be an amenity for decades to come.

Additionally, both communities have expressed a desire to increase public open space and restore natural habitats through the use of more nature-based solutions. Consequently, we’re incorporating their feedback by prioritizing strategies such as waterfront parks and green open spaces, landscaped berms, restored wetlands and other similar approaches that offer environmental, social and public health benefits in addition to providing flood protection.

HANNAH LABELLE

What have been some of the top challenges you’ve encountered, and how have you worked to address or overcome them?

CATHERINE MCCANDLESS

This project launched in 2020, so I would say that the top challenge that we’ve encountered has been conducting community engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past, the Climate Ready Boston initiatives’ community engagement has involved in-person activities, such as public open houses and focus group meetings and walking tours, which was not an option for this project for safety reasons. This really shaped the project’s approach to engagement regarding the types of strategies used and the way the conversations were facilitated. We wanted to be especially mindful of the time and the resources asked of the East Boston and Charlestown communities and conscious of the technical limitations that many residents experience, as well as to recognize the emotional burden that the pandemic has placed on so many people. So as a result, we held virtual public meetings; shared information digitally through our project website, newsletters and social media; and sought feedback through an online survey, outdoor postings with QR codes that linked directly to the online survey on the project website and a digital co-mapping exercise that allowed residents to actually pinpoint areas of their neighborhoods where they’ve experienced flooding or where they would like to see conditions improved. We also reached out directly to community-based organizations and neighborhood associations and attended their meetings at key milestones in the project to share information and seek feedback, as opposed to only asking community members to come to us.

Since over 50 percent of the East Boston community speaks Spanish as their first language, all of our project materials have also been translated into Spanish and our two virtual public open houses had Spanish interpretation available. Additionally, at the start of this project, we formed a community advisory board for each neighborhood that includes residents and members of local organizations, who we met with several times to seek insight from their experiences and gather additional feedback from their neighbors and constituents.

HANNAH LABELLE

Speaking of the community, there are a lot of stakeholders involved in these projects. You’ve got cross-functional teams working on them—city, state, federal agencies, and people who live [in] as well as frequent these neighborhoods. So tell me a little bit about the stakeholder management process. What has been your strategy to communicate and collaborate across organizations, while also managing a lot of different interests and needs?

CATHERINE MCCANDLESS

So, one of the most complicated and fascinating aspects of climate adaptation work is really that it touches practically every sector, industry and community, which means that, like you said, there are a lot of different stakeholders and interests. It goes without saying that the issue of flooding doesn’t adhere to jurisdictional or municipal boundaries drawn on a map. Consequently, we try to identify flood protection strategies that are located on land under singular ownership, such as a city-owned park, but in many parts of Boston, the preferred solutions identified through the Climate Ready Boston plans cross multiple property boundaries. Significant coordination with all landowners and abutters is therefore crucial because they will play a role in the ultimate design, engineering, construction and maintenance of a given flood protection strategy. Many of these stakeholders participate on a steering committee that we formed at the start of the project consisting of representatives from various city departments and state agencies.

The project team strategy for the ongoing planning process has been to communicate and collaborate with all of these stakeholders early and often from the plan’s initiation through its finalization and beyond. One of my key roles as a project manager is to be situated at the nexus of all of these stakeholders and foster this collaboration, identify potential conflicts, and balance and integrate everyone’s feedback. The project team has met with these various stakeholders dozens of times over the past year and a half to share results of our analyses and present ideas or concepts and discuss the feasibility of different strategies to ensure that what we ultimately put forth in the city’s plan are aligned with each stakeholder’s priority. This can certainly make the process take a long time. But we know that we will have a greater outcome if all of these stakeholders help shape the vision to protect not only their individual assets but everyone in the surrounding community. And that they will participate in bringing a given project from a conceptual plan to reality.

HANNAH LABELLE

I also want to talk about the project team specifically. There are a lot of different agencies and specialties at play. How do you keep everyone aligned to the same goal?

CATHERINE MCCANDLESS

The project team for this particular project has involved a really large team across many different disciplines. So, you have the Climate Ready Boston team that works with the city of Boston and does a lot of the coordination across different city and state agencies. But our consulting team consists of an engineering team, an architecture and landscape architecture team, folks that are neighborhood partners who have helped facilitate conversations with the community and have helped with translation, and we also have a team of professional modelers. There are different models that are used across Massachusetts to measure the impacts of climate change, specifically coastal flooding and storm surge. And so they take those models and use them to come up with projections through the year 2070, which is our planning horizon right now. I work very closely with another project manager from the consulting team. We coordinate all of our efforts very, very closely, and he then manages a lot of the subconsultants. So, there’s sort of a division of labor between the subconsulting teams and then the city departments and stakeholders who are all part of this process.

HANNAH LABELLE

Your team is wrapping up kind of the final report for this phase of the project. What are the expected next steps once this report is released?

CATHERINE MCCANDLESS

The final report for this planning project will serve as a framework to guide the work to come. We will present a road map that details when different strategies across each neighborhood need to be implemented based on the projected time frame and degree of flood risk. The next steps will involve seeking funding for near-term priority projects to advance the concepts presented in our final report. Depending on the land ownership and the location of a particular project, funding typically comes from a mix of the city’s capital budget or state and federal grant programs or mitigation contributions from private developments. So, once funding is secured for a given project, the next phase will involve detailed design and engineering to assess the structural elements and different aesthetic possibilities of a proposed strategy, which involves more community and stakeholder engagement to really shape the final outcome. When a proposed strategy has completed this phase, it will go through environmental compliance and regulatory permitting, and finally onto construction. So, the reality is that each individual flood protection strategy will likely take a few years to be completely developed after the release of the plan. So, in the meantime, it’s exciting to see projects identified in past Climate Ready Boston neighborhood plans that are currently underway or have already completed construction.

HANNAH LABELLE

Why should coastal cities be considering projects to build resilience? What value can these projects deliver to cities and citizens? And why could they be seen as critical now and in the future?

CATHERINE MCCANDLESS

The main reason for coastal cities to prioritize building resilience is that there’s so much at stake if we don’t. A commonly cited statistic from the National Institute of Building Sciences estimates that every single dollar invested in building resilience today will save approximately $6 in the future, which, as you can imagine, adds up when we’re talking about billions of dollars in avoided losses. Boston has experienced several winter nor’easters in recent years that provided a glimpse of what could happen in the future if we do not build greater resilience as soon as possible. If an even more massive storm struck Boston tomorrow, people could lose their homes and be permanently displaced. Critical infrastructure like public transportation could go out of service for weeks, if not months, and could result in people losing their ability to commute to work and potentially jeopardize their livelihoods. Building resilience is critical because we could permanently lose beloved community amenities and historic structures that make Boston a city that so many people love to visit or call home. And it’s really my hope that our work here in Boston can inspire other cities and towns around the world for what we can achieve through building climate resilience.

MUSICAL TRANSITION

STEVE HENDERSHOT

Climate change is placing coastal cities around the world under immense threat. But if this wave of innovative projects succeeds in mitigating the effects, people will continue to abide and thrive in coastal regions for generations to come.

NARRATOR

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