San Diego Regional Collaboration to Advance Transportation System Resiliency

SB 1 Adaptation Planning Grant: Final Case Study

Brief Summary:

Over a 28-month project period (October 2018 – February 2021), the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) partnered with the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative (SDRCC) to identify adaptation planning needs for the region, prepare a transportation asset risk assessment, facilitate information-sharing and collaboration on sea-level rise and transportation planning, and build capacity within local jurisdictions to address climate adaptation. The primary final deliverable was a Regional Adaptation Needs Assessment (NA) addressing multiple climate impacts to identify cross-sector needs and inform regional and local planning efforts. Adaptation planning needs for disadvantaged and resource-constrained communities were also identified in the NA. SANDAG is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the San Diego region and aligns its Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) with the State’s guidance. The RTP Guidelines (updated in 2017) and the California Transportation Plan 2040 both include policies that focus on adaptation of the transportation system and transportation infrastructure. This also supports the goals of Senate Bill (SB) 379, which requires climate adaptation and resiliency be incorporated into a jurisdiction’s Safety Element.

Lead Agency and Partnerships:

SANDAG served as the lead agency for this project and was responsible for reporting to Caltrans and coordinating with the project team, which primarily included SDRCC. Other project partners included the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR) and The San Diego Foundation (TSDF).

Drivers:

This project had multiple drivers. The first was to elevate the adaptation work being done by SANDAG and SDRCC and to leverage the regional partnership to support adaptation planning, conduct a needs assessment, and identify risks to the regional transportation network. Second, the State’s RTP Guidelines and the California Transportation Plan 2040 include policies regarding adaptation of the transportation system and its infrastructure. Third, SANDAG committed to developing strategies to enhance the region’s ability to adapt to the consequences of climate change; this was identified as a continuing action in “San Diego Forward: The Regional Plan”, adopted in October 2015. Funding from a Caltrans SB 1 Adaptation Planning Grant provided the financial support for this work effort. Fourth, many local jurisdictions were and continue to develop or update Climate Action Plans (CAPs) and are eager to incorporate adaptation measures into these plans.

Engagement Process:

Early in the development of the NA, two rounds of interviews were completed. The first round was conducted with staff from local jurisdictions and were designed to better understand local priorities, approaches, and needs related to climate adaptation. 23 interviews were conducted in the first round. The second round was conducted with climate adaptation experts in selected climate impact areas based on responses from the first round of interviews. These climate impact areas were: water, wildfire, public health, and equity. 22 interviews were conducted in the second round.

A stakeholder workshop was held to discuss vulnerabilities of and opportunities for the region in the context of adaptation impacts and planning. Outside of the workshop and interviews, SANDAG and SDRCC continued communicating project progress and results to its various networks. SDRCC, a member-based network for public agencies, academia, non-profits, and businesses, continued hosting network meetings to receive input and communicate lessons learned, as well as convening regional working groups on more focused topics to ensure project outcomes aligned with local needs. SDRCC also connected the San Diego region to other regional, statewide, and national dialogues to establish a broader community of practice.

Climate Impact Area:

The NA was designed to be multi-disciplinary and to inform regional and local planning efforts, either ongoing or on the horizon, as well as identify cross-sector needs and future opportunities for collaboration. The NA addressed multiple climate impacts that were chosen based on responses from interviews with staff at local jurisdictions; due to budget and timing constraints, these climate impacts were limited to water, wildfire, public health, and equity. While of interest, sea-level rise was not included as a climate impact area due to other completed or ongoing efforts in the region which were integrated into the final deliverables.

Funding Source:

This project was funded by a Caltrans adaptation planning grant (using SB 1 moneys) that was awarded to SANDAG in May 2018. $250,000 was awarded from Caltrans, and $40,000 was provided by SDRCC as in-kind match. The total project budget was $290,000.

Research and Data:

To frame the NA, this project utilized NOAA’s Needs Assessment Guide and the State of California’s 4^th Climate Change Assessment. The project also utilized the Vulnerability Assessment Scoring Tool (VAST) for a comprehensive risk assessment of the region’s vulnerable transportation infrastructure.

Challenges:

At the start of this project, adaptation work in the San Diego region had been focused on sea-level rise impacts and coordinating with the coastal jurisdictions. An anticipated challenge was communicating climate change adaptation to jurisdictions not on the coast and engaging these jurisdictions in the existing regional dialogue. This was not as much of an obstacle as initially predicted.

A challenge faced during this project was that local agency staff are resource-constrained, especially those at smaller jurisdictions, and making adaptation a priority is difficult. This was revealed in greater detail when analyzing the interview responses.

Other challenges identified in the NA included the following: 1) a clear definition of “adaptation” is lacking; 2) adaptation efforts are largely reactive; 3) State policies or resources are difficult to access and/or understand; 4) regional collaboration, communication, and engagement strategies need to be elevated; 5) effective communication materials are lacking; 6) limited adaptation funding creates a feedback loop and inhibits advanced adaptation planning; and 7) building community resilience requires prioritizing equity in adaptation planning goals.

Outcomes:

The main outcomes from the project were the Regional Adaptation Needs Assessment (NA), a factsheet summarizing the results from the NA, and a transportation asset risk assessment via VAST (incorporated into a previous Caltrans adaptation planning grant). Other outcomes included bolstering collaboration and partnerships surrounding climate adaptation efforts in the region. The NA identified cross-sector needs and future opportunities, and these next steps are being addressed in a subsequent Caltrans SB 1 adaptation planning grant.

Replicability:

Preparation of the NA required coordination and collaboration with local jurisdictions and other agencies. This type of project could be replicated by another MPO or regional climate collaborative if the local jurisdictions and stakeholders are willing to participate in the development of a needs assessment. Other local jurisdictions may want to utilize VAST when conducting risk assessments.