Option

Integrate climate and site conditions into project design standards

Details

Focus of action
Design and alternative designs
Option

Integrate climate and site conditions into project design standards

Focus of action
Design and alternative designs

Examples from plans

This option appears in resilience plans from around the country.

Option from plan Hazards Sort descending Assets Region Source Plan
Work with landscape architects to promote surveying vegetative cover as you design and implement local projects. Erosion and Shoreline Recession Natural Areas and Wildlife National HUD Community Resilience Toolkit (p. 12)
Promote or require site and building design standards to minimize erosion risk. For example, encourage the construction of open foundation systems on buildings that allow water to pass beneath or through Erosion and Shoreline Recession Property National HUD Community Resilience Toolkit (p. 28)
Design of built environment, tree canopy, transportation (how to move). Opening community centers, education, water, building social/community plans, how elders work within community neighbor networks. Extreme Heat Urban Landscape and Tree Canopy Southeast Planning for Climate Resilience—City of Asheville, North Carolina (p. 115)
Include increasing temperature in the design calculation for maximum temperature /rating Extreme Heat Energy and Utilities InternationalNational AR5 Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (p. Table 10-2 on page 669)
Model the impacts of new transportation projects on hydrological processes and mitigate flood risk in the surrounding areas. Flooding – CoastalFlooding – General Transportation and Mobility Southeast State of Louisiana Regional Adaptation Strategy (p. 163)
Establish resilient road design standards to manage sea level rise. Flooding – Coastal Transportation and MobilityMultiple or All Assets Southeast Charleston, South Carolina - All Hazards Vulnerability & Risk Assessment (p. 181)
Identify opportunities to improve how local government projects are designed with flooding and sea level rise in mind. Flooding – Coastal Multiple or All Assets Southeast Charleston, South Carolina - All Hazards Vulnerability & Risk Assessment (p. 186)
Identify opportunities to improve how public and private projects are designed. Keep flooding and sea level rise in mind. Flooding – CoastalFlooding – General Transportation and MobilityMultiple or All Assets Southeast Charleston, South Carolina - All Hazards Vulnerability & Risk Assessment (p. 186)
Partner with the County and State Departments of Transportation to establish resilience road design standards for SLR. Flooding – Coastal Transportation and Mobility Southeast Miami Forever Climate Ready Strategy
Ensure that any existing or newly permitted public facilities and services are designed to consider current and future flood scenarios when calculating level of service and are required to avoid present Flooding – CoastalFlooding – General Transportation and MobilityWater Infrastructure – Drinking WaterWater Infrastructure – GeneralCritical FacilitiesEnergy and UtilitiesMultiple or All AssetsWater Infrastructure – Stormwater Northwest Washington Coast Resilience Action Demonstration Project
Leverage flood mitigation infrastructure investments for recreation, transportation and community health benefits. By incorporating resilience design principles, these projects can provide storm protection Flooding – General Multiple or All Assets Southern Great Plains Resilient Houston (p. 107 (pdf p. 109))
Amend existing design standards to encourage multi-functional capital improvements for flood protection and management. Flooding – General Property Southern Great Plains Resilient Houston (p. 107 (pdf p. 109))
Require design that exceeds minimum standards for critical facility construction. Flooding – General Critical Facilities Northeast City of Baltimore Disaster Preparedness and Planning Project (p. 157)
Build adaptive capacity into any new asset put into the RAD and Biltmore Village, and other vulnerable commercial areas Flooding – Rainfall-induced Property Southeast Planning for Climate Resilience—City of Asheville, North Carolina (p. 117)
Use the best available science and resilient design features in transportation infrastructure to improve resiliency to extreme climate events. LandslidesMultiple or All HazardsSevere Winter WeatherWildfireChanging SeasonsErosion and Shoreline RecessionExtreme HeatFlooding – CoastalFlooding – General Transportation and Mobility Southwest Statewide Summary Report: California's Fourth Climate Change Assessment
Develop a design methodology for stormwater improvement projects that incorporates climate impact projections and regional development forecasts. Multiple or All Hazards PropertyWater Infrastructure – Stormwater Southern Great Plains Resilient Houston (p. 98 (pdf p. 100))
Evaluate and understand how projects impact economic activity, development opportunities and environmental factors such as air quality, water quality and overall quality of life. Multiple or All Hazards Aquatic and Marine ResourcesEconomyNatural Areas and WildlifeProperty Southeast State of Louisiana Regional Adaptation Strategy (p. 121)
Evaluate proposed construction projects that support climate adaptation. Use a common set of design engineering parameters. Multiple or All HazardsErosion and Shoreline Recession Critical FacilitiesMultiple or All Assets Climate Change in Port Heiden, AK (p. 41)