addressing climate change adaptation in regional transportation plans

Addressing Climate Change Adaptation in Regional Transportation PlansA Guide for California MPOs and RTPAs1.4 STATE-OF-THE-PRACTICE AND CALIFORNIA BESTPRACTICES REVIEWBecause this field is moving rapidly, the project team conducted a state-of-thepracticereview of the latest activity conducted by state DOTs and MPOsnationally in this arena. Research papers, reports, and guidance documents werereviewed to gather additional information on agency planning practices,implementation, and potential applicability to California MPOs/RTPAs.A set of interviews was also conducted with six California MPOs/RTPAs tounderstand the current status on integrating climate adaptation into the regionaltransportation planning process.This national state-of-the-practice research can be found in Appendix B.1.5 HOW TO USE THIS GUIDEThis guide was developed to complement the broader planning and investmentprocesses that MPOs and RTPAs already manage. The project team recognizesthe varying capacities and resources among MPOs and RTPAs and providesmethods that can be used by organizations seeking to conduct a more sketchlevelassessment of the risk and vulnerability of their regional assets to climateimpacts, or in-depth analysis that incorporates separate stakeholder processesand geospatial analyses.The project team has divided the guide’s audience into two primary user groups:a Basic User and an Advanced User. In practice, there is a wide range ofcapacities and resources to be found among California’s MPOs and RTPAs,stretching from basic to advanced. MPOs and RTPAs are encouraged to considerthe guidance for both user groups and to tailor a hybrid approach that best suitstheir needs at the time—perhaps evolving toward a more advanced approachover time.The Basic User is an MPO or RTPA conducting climate impact assessmentsand/or climate vulnerability and risk assessments for the very first time.They are often agencies with limited resources and limited GIS capability.The Advanced User is an MPO or RTPA that has experience with climateimpact assessments, has strong interagency partnerships with universities,natural resources agencies or public works departments and have more staffresources and technical tools to dedicate to the effort.The three sections of the guide are as follows. Each is highlighted as mostsuitable for Basic User, Advanced Users, or both.Part I. Background Information. For Basic and Advanced Users. The guidestarts by providing background information to help MPOs and RTPAs toCambridge Systematics, Inc. 1-7