Planning for coastal resilience in the face of climate change and environmental hazards: Lessons from New Zealand adapted for Vancouver Island
Abstract
The twenty first century has seen a rapid rise of urbanization and consumption, bringing
many challenges to cities, including one of the most difficult challenges of our time -
climate change. Climate change has exacerbated many natural hazards including storm
surges, extreme precipitation, flooding, and sea level rise causing the loss of thousands
of lives each year in addition to billions of dollars in damage. Coastal cities are especially
at risk due to their vulnerable geographical location and rapid population growth. Cities
also face other environmental challenges including earthquakes, tsunamis and
hurricanes; which are often difficult to predict and can test a city’s resilience. This research
analyzes the environmental hazards a coastal city may face and discuss the tools planners
can use to increase a region’s resilience. Case studies of New Zealand and Vancouver
Island, Canada are used to analyze disaster management and resilience strategies.