RF 5 Managed Retreat – Difficult but Necessary
Tuesday, February 8 17:15 - 18:45 (Calgary)
Chair : Tim Sexton, Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation, TC 1.4 (USA)
Transportation agencies across the world must address increasing impacts from climate change (e.g., sea level rise, land erosion, subsidence, pavement degradation) and extreme weather (e.g., flooding, landslides, wildfires, drought) and balance the costs and benefits of making assets more resilient. For some locations, the costs of maintaining individual assets are so high that transportation agencies may choose to stop maintaining the asset. The purposeful moving or abandoning assets due to current or future risks is known as managed retreat and economics, politics, and system impacts all influence these decisions. Examples include retreat due to sea level rise, riverine flooding, and other climate impacts driving managed retreat decisions.
The session will share an overview of managed retreat, examples of managed retreat from around the world, and host a discussion with panelists from around the world/USA. The session will be interactive and use an online polling tool to engage with participants.
Welcome and session introduction
• Tim Sexton, Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation, TC 1.4 (USA)
• Caroline Evans, Principal Policy Advisor, National Transport Commission, Chair – TC 1.4 (Australia)
Presentations
Overview of Managed Retreat
• Katie Spidalieri, Senior Associate, Georgetown Climate Center (USA)
Managed Retreat Case Study: California, USA
• Fraser Shilling, Road Ecology Center, University of California at Davis (USA)
Managed Retreat: Stories from Uganda
• Dr. Mark Henry Rubarenzya, Head of Research and Development, Uganda National Roads Authority, PIARC TC 1.4 (Uganda)
Managed Retreat Case Study: Minnesota, USA
• Jeffrey Meek, Sustainability Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Transportation (USA)
Managed Retreat Case Study: Mexico
• Carlos Alfonso Lara Esparza, Director General, Mexican Institute of Transportation, PIARC First Delegate from Mexico (Mexico)
Questions and Answers
• Tim Sexton, Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation, TC 1.4 (USA)
Conclusion
• Tim Sexton, Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation, TC 1.4 (USA)
Session Organiser: Tim Sexton, Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation (USA)
PIARC Technical Key contact: Tim Sexton, Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation (US) / (Caroline EVANS. Chair of PIARC’s TC 1.4; Principal Policy Advisor at the National Transport Commission – Australia)