Managed Retreat, Cultural Change, and Community Planning

Managed retreat has emerged as a potentially important strategy for adapting to climate change. It is defined as “the strategic relocation of structures or abandonment of land to manage natural hazard risk”. Despite its urgency, managed retreat decision-making remains haphazard and distributed. In the United States there is currently no agency with the authority to relocate the entire public and private infrastructure of a community and rebuild livelihoods in a new location to protect them from climate change-induced hazards. This remains so despite federal environmental officials’ having flagged this gap in 2009. Identifying and disseminating best practices for community-led, culturally aware managed retreats are critical capacity to be developed.

This project will compile a comprehensive synthesis of the existing literature, datasets, and case materials on managed retreat. Results of this analysis will be conducted through an interdisciplinary study community to identify managed retreat decision-making related research projects. Managed retreat decision-making involves evaluating the risks and benefits of relocating communities and assets away from areas that are exposed to the impacts of natural hazards or climate change. It requires collaboration between different stakeholders, including government agencies, community leaders, and scientists, to identify suitable areas for relocation and develop plans that ensure equitable outcomes for affected communities. The decision-making process must consider a range of factors, such as the severity and likelihood of future hazards, the availability of alternative locations, the costs of relocation, and the potential social, cultural, and environmental impacts of the move. The ultimate goal of this research community will be to provide recommendations for effective managed retreat decision-making involves transparency, inclusivity, and ongoing communication with affected communities to ensure that their needs and concerns are adequately addressed.