Project Description

City of Vancouver Coastal Flood Risk Assessment

Rising sea levels pose increasing flood risks for many coastal communities. With a projected sea level rise of one meter by 2100, exacerbated by the occurrence of storm surges and king tides, the City of Vancouver faces the challenging task of understanding hazards, vulnerabilities, and consequences from flood events, and identifying suitable measures to protect multiple interests over large areas.

We used structured decision-making methods to guide a series of departmental and stakeholder workshops to clarify interests, develop suitable mitigation alternatives, review performance of alternatives and consider trade-offs, and develop recommendations for protecting vulnerable neighbourhoods across the city. To address the challenges of communicating complex risk information and engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue, we developed a suite of risk assessment, visualization, decision support, and adaptive management planning tools in collaboration with Ebbwater Consulting, Urban Systems, and Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Ltd. This work breaks new ground in evaluating the implications of sea level rise on coastal communities and provides a toolbox for communities working to assess and manage risks from rising seas.

Related Projects: Water, Climate, Infrastructure, Risk, Decision Support Tools, Structured Decision Making, Adaptive Management, Stakeholder Facilitation, Technical Working Groups

Project Details

• ClientCity of Vancouver