In light of critical dangers to the city of Santa Cruz’s roughly 4.6 miles of coastline posed by climate change, the city is using a $200,000 grant from California Climate Investments through the Coastal Resilience Planning program to develop strategies and policies intended to protect public beach access, prevent community displacement, and build resiliency against future coastal hazards.
The city’s coastline provides a variety of cultural and recreational activities for residents and visitors. Yet, climate change has created a number risks to the coastal zone, including the risks of physical damage to infrastructure, loss of recreational spaces and natural habitat, and the risk of bluff‑top erosion. The $200,000 grant has enabled the city to engage community members in the development of adaptation strategies and land use policies that will be incorporated into — and strengthen — the city’s Local Coastal Program.
To inform the city’s Local Coastal Program update, city staff implemented an inclusive and comprehensive outreach plan to include members of the community in the planning process so they could understand how anticipated climate change hazards could disproportionately impact populations who are particularly vulnerable to climate change. As part of this outreach, the city deployed a Sea Level Rise Virtual Reality Application across its public libraries to depict how sea level rise will impact the city’s beaches and coastal communities. This innovative tool is a unique way to explain a topic that many find difficult to understand.
Additionally, the city is developing an Adaptation Policy Guidance document that will recommend potential adaptation strategies in response to specific triggers.
“The city's trigger‑based adaptation pathways approach has resonated with our community indicating they consider this a ‘smart approach’ to planning coastal management in the face of climate change,” Tiffany Wise‑West, a manager in the city’s Climate Action Program, said.
Information gleaned from significant outreach planned for in the early phases of the project will help ensure adaptation strategies balance different people’s needs.