addressing climate change adaptation in regional transportation plans

Addressing Climate Change Adaptation in Regional Transportation PlansA Guide for California MPOs and RTPAsPrioritize Adaptation Strategies for Inclusion in RTPThe penultimate stage in the assessment process is the prioritization ofadaptation strategies for integration into the RTP, hazard mitigation plans, oreven short-term implementation where applicable. At this point, the dimensionscritical to prioritization will be known for all assets/strategies that haveundergone full assessment: the magnitude of risk, effectiveness (in mitigatingrisks) and implementation feasibility – or, alternatively, the B/C ratio –preferably for the duration of the Climate Hazard Protection Window. Thesescorings can be ranked or, perhaps more suitably, grouped into tiers of priority,by time period. For example, “high,” “medium,” and “low” priorities for short-,mid-, and long-term implementation. It is anticipated that many of thesepriorities will correspond to established asset renewal cycles, helping agenciescost-effectively promote adaptation in the course of preserving or improvingtheir assets (a practice referred to as “mainstreaming”).Although this document aims to provide efficient, workable approaches for eachelement of the assessment, it is particularly important at this stage to employthese approaches to the extent that they support decision-making, but not to beconstrained by them. Agencies are encouraged to apply (or adapt) their ownproject planning and prioritization processes, and to integrate other methods andfactors to the assessment as they see fit, such as the consideration ofcomplementary benefits to other aspects of transportation or environmentalperformance. Agencies will also profit by working collaboratively in makingthese determinations, especially by leveraging the skills and knowledge ofinfrastructure managers and by working constructively with their constituentsand with other agencies to increase the effectiveness and buy-in of their decisionmaking.This leads to the incorporation of adaptation into formal plans and processes –the final, and perhaps most important outcome of the assessment. Ultimately,climate adaptation projects must take their places alongside safety, congestionmitigation, accessibility, and environmental projects, for example, which arethemselves crucial to fulfilling the agency’s mission and the region’s goals. It isanticipated that an early, unflinching consideration of climate change, coupledwith timely and cost-effective adaptation action, will strengthen the ability oftransportation agencies to fulfill their fundamental mandates, now and fordecades to come.12-14 Cambridge Systematics, Inc.