Resilient Coastal Communities

LaDon Swann, Director NOAA’s Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and

Auburn University Marine Center

Coastal Resilience Index

• Five categories– Critical infrastructure– Community plans– Mitigation measures– Business plans– Social systems

• 44 indicators

Coastal Resilience Index• Creators

– AL, MS and LA Sea Grant through the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s (GOMA) Coastal Community Resiliency priority issue team

• Gulf-wide implementation– Communities, Sea Grant, GOMA, EPA Gulf of Mexico

Program, and NOAA Coastal Storms Program– Referenced in GCERTF preliminary plan

• Additional partners– RAND, USACE, Chambers of Commerce and others

Climate Community of Practice

A Community of Practice is a group of professionals who aim to achieve common outcomes. By working together, they can learn from one another and develop a set of effective common approaches that can be refined over time.

Climate Community of Practice• A support and engagement framework for

communities• Purpose

– In-reach on climate adaptation strategies– Out-reach to local governments

• Technical support• Networking

– Long-term outcome is for communities to have climate adaptation plans

• Good: stand-alone plans• Better: include in hazard mitigation plans

Smart Growth Planning1. Mix land uses2. Take advantage of compact building design3. Create a range of housing opportunities and choices4. Create walkable neighborhoods5. Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place6. Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical

environmental areas7. Strengthen and direct development towards existing communities8. Provide a variety of transportation choices9. Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost effective10. Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development

decisions

Measures of Community Resilience

• Natural environment– Widely recognized and emphasized– Will the emphasis on a resilient natural

environment save communities over the long-term?

• Built environment– Widely recognized– Will the emphasis on a resilient built environment

save communities over the long-term?

Can measures of well-being capture most of what we mean when we describe resilience in terms of natural, built and cultural domains?

Pol

itica

l Clim

ate

Social Networks

in

pro

visi

oni

ng

Socio-Economic Valuation

Pol

icy

Act

ions

Non-policy Driven FactorsAdvocacy Groups

NGOs/INGOsNot-for-profit Organizations

Decision Support

Policy-Driven FactorsEnvironmental Regulation

Economic Regulation and ReformSocial Programs

Access to servicesAltruism

Clean environmentEconomic growth

Ecosystem conditionEducation

HealthLeisure time

Life satisfaction/ happinessNutrition

Public InfrastructureSafety and security

ShelterSocial cohesion

Spiritual and cultural fulfillmentTopophilia and biophilia

Wealth

Well-Being Domains

Freedom and Choice

Ecosystem ServicesWater Quality Regulation

Air Quality RegulationNatural Hazard Protection

Food & Fiber Recreation and AestheticsAtmospheric Regulation

Soil & Sediment Quality RegulationPest & Disease RegulationWater Quantity Regulation

Social ServicesHealthcare

Public HealthFinancial Assistance

Family ServicesActivismJusticeLabor

Claimed Civil LibertiesEmergency Preparedness

EducationPublic Works

CommunicationCommunity & Faith Based Initiatives

Economic ServicesLabor MarketStabilization

Government BudgetInterest Rates

Redistribution of Income

State of the Economy

Social Conditions

Good governance

SocietalWelfare

Human Well-being

Societal

Well-being

Environmental

Well-being

Economic

Well-being

Subjective Well-being

Basic Human Needs

State of the Environment

Smith, L.M. et al. 2011. Ecosystem services and human well-being: Integrating existing measures of well-being into a conceptual framework. In �review. Ecology and Society.

What is required to effect change?

Requires a fundamental understanding of human nature.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Conclusions

• A great deal of progress has been made to improve community resilience

• Largely influenced by:– Natural and technological disasters– Economic downturns

• A significant gap is comprehensive ecosystem services valuation