With the increase in occurrence and severity of natural disasters including wild fires, flooding, heat waves, and hurricanes, managed retreat has gained the attention of risk managers and public officials in high-hazard areas. What social and economic changes will affect the community or region where the relocated infrastructure, housing, and people move? TRB in collaboration with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Policy and Global Affairs division hosted a webinar on Thursday, March 4, 2021 from 2:00-4:00 PM Eastern that explored how extreme weather and climate change affect managed retreats. Presenters discussed how coordinating land use to move people and structures away from risk is becoming a more viable option to enhance transportation and community resilience. Managed retreat involves a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) buy-out program for homeowners, as well as potential relocation of highways, rails, power, water and other critical infrastructure that would otherwise be in harm’s way.

This webinar was organized by the TRB Standing Committees on Extreme Weather and Climate Change Adaptation, and Accessible Transportation and Mobility.

The slides and recording are available. 

Webinar agenda and presenters

1. Introductions: Heather Holsinger, Federal Highway Administration
2. Overview of managed retreat: Mark Abkowitz, Vanderbilt University
3. Current state-of-the practice in managed retreat and its impacts on the transportation sector: Ed Sniffen, Hawaii Department of Transportation
4. Coordinating Cross-Sector Retreat and Relocation to Improve Resilience: Sandra Knight, University of Maryland
5. Tools and best practices for considering transportation and other components of a managed retreat strategy: Annie Bennett and Katie Spidalieri, Georgetown Climate Center
6. Question and answer session: Moderated by Heather Holsinger, Federal Highway Administration

The first 90 minutes of the webinar will be for presentations and the final 30 minutes will be reserved for audience questions.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Identify state-of-the practice in managed retreat and impacts on the transportation sector
2. Locate resources and data for determining whether transportation facilities are located in high-risk areas
3. Identify solutions planning and design to advance sustainable and resilient transportation systems in high hazard areas
4. Discuss policies and standards to advance transportation resilience for adapting to extreme weather and climate change

Professional Development Hours

Professional Development Hours (PDHs) earned on completion of this program were reported to the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Certificates of Completion are issued to all participants via the RCEP.net online system. Complaints about registered providers may be addressed to RCEP, 1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Fl., Washington, DC, 20005.

American Institute of Certified Planners Certification Maintenance Credits

This webinar was approved by the American Institute of Certified Planners for 1.5 Certification Maintenance Credits. Please visit the Certification Maintenance section of APA’s website to claim your credits: https://www.planning.org/cm/. If you have problems reporting your CM credits or have general questions about the CM program, please contact the APA.