Virginia’s Coastal Resilience Master Plan Improves Community Resilience While Prioritizing Environmental Justice
With more than 7,000 miles of coastline and 70 percent of its population living in coastal areas, Virginia is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and has already seen dire impacts from sea level rise in some areas. For example, the Hampton Roads region — which encompasses 17 coastal municipalities — faces the second highest levels of sea level rise in the U.S., behind only New Orleans.
To enhance its resilience to sea level rise, the State released the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan in December 2021. The Master Plan identifies the risks that coastal Virginian communities face and highlights the climate vulnerabilities that exacerbate these risks. The Plan also provides tools designed to build resilience based on a State-sponsored technical study, input from the Plan’s technical advisory committee, and feedback from more than 2,000 interested parties.
Recognizing the tendency for overburdened and underserved communities to be under-prioritized in infrastructure and resilience projects, the Plan elevates environmental justice concerns through engagement with these communities and the prioritization of environmental justice-focused projects. For example, the State held virtual and in-person stakeholder meetings specifically targeted to under-resourced communities where social vulnerability among the population is high and vulnerabilities to coastal flooding are significant. Ultimately, the meetings allowed the Plan to incorporate the perspectives, interests, and feedback of approximately 300 members of these underserved communities.
After identifying the projects that best align with Virginia’s goals and principles, the Master Plan prioritizes projects based on the extent to which they:
- Acknowledge climate change and its consequences.
- Identify and address socioeconomic inequities and work to enhance equity through coastal adaptation and protection efforts.
- Recognize the importance of protecting and enhancing natural infrastructure.
- Utilize community- and regional-scale planning to the maximum extent possible.
- Understand fiscal realities and focus on the most cost-effective solutions.
To evaluate the degree to which a project addresses socioeconomic inequities, the Master Plan draws on the technical study’s identification of vulnerable communities, as well as findings from the stakeholder engagement process.
The State’s executive order establishing the Master Plan requires that Virginia amend and update it every five years. To inform these updates, the Master Plan itself includes recommendations on how to further incorporate input from underserved communities into future iterations, highlighting the importance of these future updates to ensure that the State can best address the needs of these communities. Drawing from its experience with community engagement efforts during the first iteration of the Master Plan, the State plans to focus on connecting with community organizers, NGOs, and other community groups to increase participation and input from underserved communities for the second edition of the Plan, which is due for release in 2024.
In tandem with the Plan, the State created the Coastal Resilience Web Explorer. This free online tool allows communities and individuals to map the hazards and social vulnerabilities of coastal areas over time. It also includes a database of proposed resilience projects throughout the State and lists of funding opportunities for communities interested in developing resilience projects. Combining the use of this tool with local knowledge, municipalities can map the areas of highest vulnerability in their communities, develop ideas for projects to address these vulnerabilities, and identify funding sources to help finance these projects.
Through both the Master Plan and the Web Explorer, Virginia established important tools to grapple with climate change impacts in coastal areas. Virginia’s Plan highlights the ways in which these adaptation tools can be implemented, while prioritizing the most vulnerable populations.
| How Did They Do It? | Applicable Tools |
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Conducted a Technical Study.
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Tools used: The Coastal Resilience Master Planning Framework was used to assess Virginia’s coastal vulnerability. The Project and Capacity Building Schema and Project Evaluation and Prioritization Approach was used to define the identification and inventory process that provides the basis for project prioritization. Funding Analysis was used to identify potential funding streams for projects that facilitate coastal resilience in Virginia. Additional tools that may be useful: EPA Climate Scenarios Projection Map, Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA), and the National Climate Assessment can be used to assess future climate impacts by region. EPA's Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool can help identify vulnerable communities. CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index can help identify vulnerable communities. |
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Created a project suitability matrix so that localities can classify and prioritize projects based on:
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Additional tools that may be useful: USACE and NOAA's Living Shorelines brochure estimates the costs of green and gray infrastructure projects. |
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Engaged 2,000+ stakeholders through surveys, webinars, workshops, and public meetings. Stakeholders included local practitioners, federal partners, under-resourced communities, and the general public. 80 percent of residents who responded to the surveys said that flooding poses a serious or extreme challenge over the next 20 to 40 years. |
Tools used: The plan’s public survey design and methodology was used to develop the flood risk survey. Additional tools that may be useful: FEMA Flood Map Service Center provides access to flood maps for any address in the U.S. |
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Created the Coastal Resilience Web Explorer, allowing communities to map hazards and vulnerabilities, explore project needs, and find funding opportunities. Virginia’s Coastal Resilience Web Explorer is a compilation of the findings of the technical study on a publicly available, user-friendly interface. |
Additional tools that may be useful: NOAA’s Sea Level Rise Viewer shows how sea levels are likely to rise in coastal areas across the U.S. NHC Storm Surge Risk Maps identify regional storm surge flooding vulnerabilities with the National Hurricane Center’s interactive map. |
Similar Cases and More Information
Like Virginia, other cities, states, and regions across the country are grappling with how to adapt to sea level rise. The three case studies below highlight how different levels of government have assessed the impacts and vulnerabilities in their communities and include recommended adaptation measures. The San Juan Bay case study, like Virginia, also has a focus on environmental justice.
- The City of Boston Plans for Adaptation
- Seabrook, NH Plans for Sea-Level Rise
- San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
References
- Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation)
- Hampton Roads’ Sea Level Rise Adaptation Advances on Multiple Fronts (NOAA)
- Virginia Coastal Resilience Web Explorer (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation)
- Executive Order 24: Increasing Virginia’s Resilience to Sea Level Rise and Natural Hazards (Virginia Office of the Governor)
- Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan Appendix G (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation)
- Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan Appendix I (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation)
- Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan Appendix M (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation)