County of San Mateo Climate Vulnerability and Resilience Planning Project
SB1 Adaptation Planning Grant: Initial Case Study
Challenge: Working across jurisdictional boundaries
Summary
The Climate Vulnerability and Mainstreaming Resilience Planning project in San Mateo County is an innovative approach to transportation resilience planning that will provide resources for cities and vulnerable communities. This project will assess countywide climate change impacts, assist the County and 20 cities in further defining vulnerable transportation infrastructure, critical assets, and communities, while developing adaptation strategies to prepare for those impacts. Key milestones include (1) a county-wide climate analysis, (2) mapping of impacts to transportation, (3) toolkits to incorporate adaptation measures into transportation and related plans, projects, and policies, and (4) resilience vision and adaptation plans for priority and transit-dependent communities. Specific actions to remedy climate-related vulnerabilities will be developed for up to five Pilot Communities based on demonstrated need for technical assistance and interest in working to incorporate the needs of disadvantaged communities.
The Project will start with a Kick-off meeting in May of 2018 and will culminate with development of four to five Community Level Resilience Visioning and Adaptation Planning Pilots in February of 2018.
Lead Agency and Partnerships
County of San Mateo staff will oversee all tasks and will work to encourage participation from all 20 cities, transit agencies, special districts, businesses, and local stakeholder groups. The County plans to bring together regional stakeholders in the form of an Advisory Committee and a Climate Change Collaborative that will together provide oversight and buy-in from key stakeholders for the project and build stakeholder capacity for implementing key elements of the project.
Drivers
Given that San Mateo County is the most vulnerable county to sea level rise in the state, this project seeks to amplify the growing support and existing interest for local adaptation to sea level rise and other climate-related impacts in the county. Understanding climate-related impacts to transportation will ensure County-wide mobility and prevent rippling large-scale impacts to other critical community services. Without this project, the momentum, working relationships, awareness, and sense of urgency in implementing adaptation measures that have been cultivated could be lost.
The Project will support the following related State initiatives and priorities:
Engagement Process
San Mateo county communities are vulnerable to climate change impacts, particularly vulnerable populations. Vulnerable populations include those that are disproportionally affected by transportation-related climate impacts, including individuals who are transit-dependent, children and elderly, those without a high school diploma, those with limited English proficiency, renters, and those burdened by transit and housing costs. Based on Cal EnviroScreen, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Bay Conservation Development Commission (BCDC) Community Vulnerability Indicators, the following areas in San Mateo County include vulnerable communities: East Palo Alto, South San Francisco, Pescadero, County Unincorporated La Honda Area, North Fair Oaks, Daly City, Brisbane, Pacifica, San Mateo, and Half Moon Bay.
The project will include developing an Advisory Committee and Climate Change Collaborative, consisting of cities, agencies, community group representatives, special districts, businesses and others. The County will consult with the Advisory Committee on the selection of 4-5 cities and unincorporated areas to participate in the pilot project to provide communities with clearer community transportation vulnerability data for developing adaptation policies and strategies.
The goal of developing adaptation strategies for these pilot communities is to scale the breadth of the County’s regional efforts in assessing climate impacts to a localized and community-driven process. In doing so, San Mateo County recognizes the importance of community knowledge and participation and has therefore developed a plan to actively work with existing community-based organizations as liaisons between the County/cities and the at-risk communities. As trusted entities and advocates within these communities, they are best equipped to engage community members in adaptation planning.
The Advisory Committee and Climate Change Collaborative will provide input and feedback throughout the engagement process with the five pilot cities. The stakeholders will help design the deliverables, scope and implement the community pilots, provide technical assistance, and assist with community education and awareness-building about project results.
Climate Impact Area
This project will respond to countywide and localized climate change hazards including sea level rise, change in temperature, change in precipitation, and extreme events including extreme heat, droughts, and floods. The project will develop a better understanding of specific climate-related vulnerabilities by downscaling the existing climate model predictions from resources such as Cal-Adapt to local geographic areas and summarizing the relevant local climate change hazards by jurisdiction. This downscaled localized model will fill key gaps in the current understanding of risks to specific communities, including transportation systems. A localized representation of climate change impacts will be a critical tool for engaging communities in visualizing short-term and long-term adaptation measures.
Establishing a menu of adaptation options and developing policy and planning templates to address impacts for General Plans, transportation plans, and other plans will build capacity to respond to these impacts in the pilot communities. The project has not yet established indicators to ensure resilience, but will do so in coordination with the Advisory Committee and stakeholder groups.
Funding Source
This project will require a total of $932,859 with $649,500 from the SB 1 and Caltrans Adaptation Planning Grant and will be locally matched with $283,359 by the San Mateo County General Fund.
Research and Data
To analyze community vulnerability, the project will use the community vulnerability methodology developed by ABAG and BCDC for the resilience program Stronger Housing, Safer Communities (ABAG 2015). The project will also use other relevant vulnerable community indicators, such as Cal EnviroScreen and guidance from SB 535 and AB 1550.
To analyze and map the extent and severity of climate impacts, the consultant will also use existing resources developed by the State of California for the analysis as appropriate including Cal-Adapt and California Health Assessment Tool (CHAT) that is currently being developed as part of the California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment decision-making support tools.
Sample policy language and planning templates will be developed by using the Safeguarding California Report, the Adaptation Planning Guide, the California Coastal Commission’s Draft Residential Adaptation Policy Guidance, the California Coastal Commission’s Sea Level Rise Policy Guidance, and the Office of Planning and Research’s General Plan Guidelines.
The project has not yet established metrics to track progress, but County staff plan to work with the consultant team and stakeholders to identify relevant metrics at the start of the project.
Challenges
This project will likely face some challenges in ensuring robust participation by cities, stakeholders, and community-based organizations, since many city staff and organizations face competing priorities and time constraints. Our proposed solution is to limit the number of meetings to those that are completely essential and to incorporate speakers and learning opportunities at meetings to help stakeholders see value in collaboration.
Outcomes
The Climate Vulnerability and Mainstreaming Resilience Planning in San Mateo County will identify the next steps in transportation adaptation by providing a high-level gap analysis and implementation road map for cities and the County to update plans and policies, as well as piloting community-led approaches for long-range planning and policy development.
The next step after the project is complete is for cities and the County to incorporate the planning template recommendations into relevant plans and policies, such as General Plans, Climate Action Plans, and Capital Improvement Plans.
Replicability
The stakeholder engagement process, analysis of impacts, development of planning templates, and community pilots are all efforts that could be applicable to other communities that are vulnerable to climate change impacts.
Additional Resources
Further Information
For further information, contact Marcus Griswold at mgriswold@smcgov.org.