Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Stefan Al

   Pages 1-22

3. City Strategies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 23-23

      PDF

   2. Rotterdam, The Netherlands

      • Stefan Al

      Pages 24-31

   3. New York City, New York, USA

      • Stefan Al

      Pages 32-37

   4. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

      • Stefan Al

      Pages 38-43

   5. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

      • Stefan Al

      Pages 44-49

4. Local Strategies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 51-51

      PDF

   2. Hard-Protect Strategies

      • Stefan Al

      Pages 53-85

   3. Soft-Protect Strategies

      • Stefan Al

      Pages 87-99

   4. Store Strategies

      • Stefan Al

      Pages 101-119

   5. Retreat Strategies

      • Stefan Al

      Pages 121-135

   6. Conclusion

      • Stefan Al

      Pages 137-137

5. Back Matter

   Pages 139-143

   PDF

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy floods devastated coastal areas in New York and New Jersey. In 2017, Harvey flooded Houston. Today in Miami, even on sunny days, king tides bring fish swimming through the streets in low-lying areas. These types of events are typically called natural disasters. But overwhelming scientific consensus says they are actually the result of human-induced climate change and irresponsible construction inside floodplains.
As cities build more flood-management infrastructure to adapt to the effects of a changing climate, they must go beyond short-term flood protection and consider the long-term effects on the community, its environment, economy, and relationship with the water.
 Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise, by infrastructure expert Stefan Al, introduces design responses to sea-level rise, drawing from examples around the globe. Going against standard engineering solutions, Al argues for approaches that are integrated with the public realm, nature-based, and sensitive to local conditions and the community. He features design responses to building resilience that creates new civic assets for cities. For the first time, the possible infrastructure solutions are brought together in a clear and easy-to-read format.
The first part of the book looks at the challenges for cities that have historically faced sea-level rise and flooding issues, and their response in resiliency through urban design. He presents diverse case studies from New Orleans to Ho Chi Minh to Rotterdam, and draws best practices and urban design typologies for the second part of the book. 
Part two is a graphic catalogue of best-practices or resilience strategies. These strategies are organized into four categories: hard protect, soft protect, store, and retreat. The benefits and challenges of each strategy are outlined and highlighted by a case study showing where that strategy has been applied.

Any professional or policymaker in coastal areas seeking to protect their communities from the effects of climate change should start with this book. With the right solutions, Al shows, sea-level rise can become an opportunity to improve our urban areas and landscapes, rather than a threat to our communities. 

• climate change adaptation
• green infrastructure
• sea level rise
• stormwater management
• delta city
• landscape/regional and urban planning
• urban geography and urbanism
• coastal sciences
• water policy

• School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

  Stefan Al

Stefan Al, PHD, is an architect, urban designer, and infrastructure expert at global design firm Kohn Pedersen Fox in New York. Over the years, he served as a TED resident, advisor to the United Nations High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, and professor of urban design at the University of Pennsylvania. His books include Beyond Mobility: Planning Cities for People and Places (coauthored with Robert Cervero and Erick Guerra) and The Strip: Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream, a Wall Street Journal "best book to read." He is a native of the Netherlands, a low-lying country that would not exist without flood protection.

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