Adapt, Rebuild and Carry On: Coastal Cities Face a Rising Tide

by: Tony Keith, RLA

Viewing news footage of the devastation in the wake of Hurricane Sandy this past winter and witnessing firsthand the recurring storm damage from El Nino conditions here on the West Coast, it is clear to me that our coastal cities are increasingly at risk. Whether you accept the science of global warming, or the premise that we are just in a natural cycle, the answer is the same: we must prepare in advance and implement strategies to address a new set of criteria for planning and building along our shoreline or suffer devastating consequences.

Development along the waterfront is set in an extremely dynamic context that is dramatically changing within our lifetime. Few coastal locations host more diverse activities in one place than along our coastal city waterfronts; commerce, industry, recreation, man-made environments and natural beauty all intersect in this unique setting. With critical infrastructure increasingly at risk, we have clear choices to make, new questions to ask and new solutions to seek.

Sea levels have risen about 8 inches in the past 100 years and are projected to rise as much as 55 inches by the end of the century as stated in an analysis prepared for three California state agencies. The Pacific Institute estimates that 480,000 people, a wide range of critical infrastructure, vast areas of wetlands and other natural ecosystems, and nearly $100 billion in property along the California coast are at increased risk from flooding due to sea-level rise if no adaptation actions are taken.

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Pinnacles National Monument West Side Visitor Center awarded Rare LEED® Platinum Certification

The Pinnacles National Monument West Side Visitor Center located in Monterey County has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, the highest and most difficult level to achieve. The LEED Green Building Rating System is a set criteria put together by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to promote green building and to create a benchmark for sustainable design. The Visitor Center is only the second National Park Service (NPS)  in the US to achieve this elite status.

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RRM in the News: Surfer’s Point Takes the Shoreline Approach

From Storm Water Solutions online:

Sustainable solution offers flood control and water quality improvement for a popular beach spot.

For more than 20 years, challenging storm water conditions and continued erosion have been a problem at Surfer’s Point, a popular surf break near Santa Barbara, Calif. Beach erosion, degraded water quality and flooding issues have caused tremendous damage. Coastal development, unsustainable water management practices and runoff from urban and agricultural areas further exacerbated the problem.

A collaboration of community stakeholders from government, businesses, non-profits and residents, spent years debating options, and eventually chose the innovative “managed retreat”—or shoreline retreat—approach as their long-term solution to effectively manage the storm water and stall erosion.

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RRM in the News: Port of Long Beach Revisits Developing RRM-Designed Bike/Recreational Path

Having wrapped up design development efforts for the Port of Long Beach’s waterfront recreational path through the Queen Mary complex and former Spruce Goose dome, RRM Design Group is ramping up to begin the conceptual design phase for the Port’s California Coastal Trail connection between the Los Angeles River and Port of Los Angeles.

Click here to read more in the Long Beach Business Journal: http://lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/118-12-05-22/624-port-revisits-developing-bike-recreational-path-along-pier-j-queen-mary.html

RRM in the News: Design plans move forward for park at Channel Islands Harbor

From the vcstar.com:

Plans to remake Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard took a small step forward  Tuesday when the Ventura  County Board of Supervisors hired a firm to design a new park and a monument  sign at the harbor’s entrance.

Santa Barbara Park will sit on two-thirds of an acre at Channel Islands  Boulevard and Peninsula Road. The sign will be in the median at the intersection  of Channel Islands and Harbor boulevards, at one of the main entrances to the  harbor.

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Today’s Challenges for Parks and Recreation

By: T. Keith Gurnee

“Parks Make Life Better!” Month

Just a few years ago, the California Parks and Recreation Society (CPRS) adopted this slogan to brand its purpose as an organization of park advocates. CPRS recently sponsored legislation as State Senate Resolution SCR 14 Wolk to designate the month of July, 2011 as “Parks Make Life Better!” Month. If adopted as expected, the State Legislature will have taken one of the more ironic actions of recent memory. On one hand, the Legislature will have confirmed its agreement with this appropriate statement. On the other, it will be adopting a budget that proposes to close 70 state parks across the state of California, making our lives “less better” in 2012.

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Surfers Point: Making Advances on Shoreline Retreat

By: Tony Keith

Walking along any portion of California’s coast, visitors can observe an ever-changing environment where the tides, waves, shifting sands, and shorebirds all move in concert with the soothing rhythms of the sea. But when the winter El Nino storms come to the West Coast, serenity gives way to the awesome, destructive powers of nature, placing in jeopardy the public improvements that allow us to enjoy the elemental edge where water meets the shore. Nowhere is this more apparent than the city of Ventura’s beaches that flank its distinctive pier, and no agency is more aware of this than the California Coastal Commission.

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