PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT REGION

JOSH SAWISLAK, AICP

PRINCIPAL, CLIO STRATEGIES LLC

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATE, CENTER FOR URBAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS, FAU

7 JANUARY 2020

THE FUTURE HAS SOME CHALLENGES

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT

RISK?

ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT

FOUR OPTIONS:

1. TRANSFER RISK

2. ACCEPT RISK

3. MITIGATE RISK

4. AVOID RISK

TRANSFER RISK

• INSURANCE IS THE USUAL FORM OF RISK TRANSFER

• NOT ALWAYS AVAILABLE OR COST EFFECTIVE

• SOME RISKS CANNOT BE TRANSFERRED (EX. SEA LEVEL RISE)

• GOVERNMENT RECOVERY PROGRAMS ARE A FORM OF RISK TRANSFER

• SOME RISKS ARE EITHER LOW IMPACT OR LOW PROBABILITY

• RISK ACCEPTANCE CAN BE A COST-EFFECTIVE STRATEGY

• SOME RISKS ARE SO HIGH IMPACT THAT ACCEPTING THEM IS THE BEST STRATEGY

ACCEPT RISK

MITIGATE RISK

• TYPICALLY MITIGATION OF VULNERABILITY

• CAN BE DONE AT THE ASSET OR NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL

• MITIGATION AT THE BUILDING LEVEL

• BUILD STRONGER

• DESIGN SMARTER

• CHANGE LOCATION (CAN ALSO BE RISK AVOIDANCE)

• CAN BE AFFECTED BY CASCADING IMPACTS

AVOID RISK

• MOVING A BUILDING OR FACILITY CAN AVOID RISK

• SOMETIMES EVEN A SMALL CHANGE IS LARGE RISK REDUCTION

• CHANGE IN FUNCTION OR RECOVERY TIME CAN ALSO AVOID RISK

RISK MITIGATION PLANNING• MUST FIRST UNDERSTAND THREAT

AND VULNERABILITY (RISK)

• ESTABLISH TIMEFRAME

• CONSIDER THREATS, VULNERABILITIES, AND EXISTING AND PLANNED MITIGATION

• DATA ARE AVAILABLE, BUT TOOLS ARE NOT ALWAYS EFFECTIVE

• PLANNING IS MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN REGIONAL IN SCOPE

REGIONAL PLANNING

• AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IS MOSTLY STRUCTURED AT THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND MUNICIPAL LEVELS

• DISASTERS TEND TO BE REGIONAL IN EFFECT

• LAND USE IS A MAJOR TOOL IN MITIGATING AND AVOIDING RISK

REGIONAL RESILIENCE PLANNING QUESTIONS

• WHO SHOULD BE IN THE ROOM?

• DO WE HAVE TO BECOME A COLLECTIVE?

• DO WE HAVE TO AGREE ON EVERYTHING?

• WHAT ARE THE KEY ISSUES TO CONSIDER?

• WHERE DO WE START?

WHO SHOULD BE IN THE ROOM?• EVERYONE (NOT JUST IN THE

SAME ROOM ALL THE TIME)

• GOVERNMENT (ALL LEVELS)

• BENEFICIARIES, REGULATORS, AND FUNDERS

• BUSINESS

• ACADEMIA AND NGOS

• PUBLIC

DO WE HAVE TO BECOME A COLLECTIVE?

• NO (RESISTANCE IS NOT ALWAYS FUTILE)

• THERE ARE MANY MODELS OF COLLABORATION

• THERE IS NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL FOR STRUCTURE

• THE GOAL IS TO BALANCE EFFECTIVENESS AND FEASIBILITY

REGIONAL PLANNING MODELS

Top Down/Region Centered (state agencies)

Mixed Multi-Tiered

Mixed Complex Network

Bottom Up Modified Compact

TOP DOWN/REGION CENTERED

• CREATED BY EXECUTIVE OR LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY AT STATE LEVEL

• USUALLY IN RESPONSE TO A SPECIFIC EVENT

• APPOINTED MEMBERS

• AUTHORITY OVER LOCAL DECISIONS

• FUNDED BY STATE APPROPRIATIONS OR BONDS

• EXAMPLES:• NEW YORK’S URBAN DEVELOPMENT CORP (ESDC) – 1968

• LOUISIANA RECOVERY AUTHORITY – 2006

MIXED MULTI-TIERED

• SEPARATE, REGIONAL TIER OF GOVERNMENT

• ELECTED ACROSS REGION

• FUNDED BY REVENUE RAISING CAPACITY

• EXAMPLES:

• PORTLAND (OREGON METRO) – 1979

• LONDON – 1999

• DUTCH WATERSCHAPPEN (WATER BOARDS) – 13TH CENTURY

MIXED COMPLEX NETWORKS

• COLLECTED JURISDICTIONS

• APPOINTED FROM MULTIPLE LOCALITIES

• SUPER MAJORITY VOTING

• FUNDED BY ALLOCATION OR FED/STATE FUNDING

• EXAMPLES:

• METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS – 1962

• LYON, FRANCE – 1967

BOTTOM UP MODIFIED COMPACT

• EXISTING COUNTY MEMBERS

• MAJOR OFFICIALS EX-OFFICIO

• SUPER MAJORITY FOR NARROW, SPECIFIC PURPOSE BINDING POLICIES

• FUNDED BY ADD-ON OR SPECIAL TAX

• EXAMPLES:• ALLEGHANY REGIONAL ASSET DISTRICT (PITTSBURGH) – 1993

• SE FLORIDA REGIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE COMPACT – 2010

DO WE HAVE TO AGREE ON EVERYTHING?

• NO (BUT THAT WOULD BE GREAT)

• BINDING VS. NON-BINDING AGREEMENTS?

• DATA IS A GOOD PLACE TO START

• SHARED PROCESS IS NOT SURRENDER

• DON’T RACE TO THE BOTTOM

KEY ISSUES TO CONSIDER

Data Sources and Standards

Information Sharing

Process Agreement

Opportunity Identification

Education and Outreach

Economies of Scale

WHERE TO START

• YOU’RE ALREADY DOING IT

• GET HIGH LEVEL BUY-IN

• DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK

• SET GOALS AND MILESTONES

• BE TRANSPARENT AND ACCOUNTABLE

• IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT

PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT REGION

JOSH SAWISLAK, AICP

PRINCIPAL, CLIO STRATEGIES LLC

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATE, CENTER FOR URBAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS, FAU

7 JANUARY 2020