Planning for Climate Change: A handbook for urban and rural area planners

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Planning for Climate Change A handbook for urban
and rural area planners

• Joan M. Walker
• Land-of-Sky Regional Council

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Planning for Climate Change

• Tool for planners and decision makers
• Understand how climate change affects communities
• Strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate
  change on the local level
• Emphasis on holistic planning approach
• Incorporates peer review through web portal

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Chapters 12

• IPCC Formal Mandate
• Science of climate change
• Contributing factors
• How it is measured
• Definition of key concepts and terms
• Effects Sea level Rise, Drought, Wildfires, More
  extreme weather events, Flooding

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Communities Must Be Prepared for Shifting
Climatic Conditions
Hurricane Ike
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Low water levels in Lake Lanier Reservoir north
of Atlanta is threatening the metro area's water
supply
Recent storm in Washington County resulted in at
least 5.7 million in expenses due to damaged
roads and bridges
http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21393296/
http//www.co.washington.or.us/deptmts/cao/news/st
rmcost.htm
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Land Use
Vehicle Miles Per Licensed Driver 1980-2005

• The U.S.-constructed impervious surface area in
  2000 was nearly the size of Ohio.

http//www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts
/2007_fcvt_fotw473.html
http//www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/Library/ocp2006/ocp20
06.pdf.
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Mixed Use Development City Place West Palm
Beach, Flordia
Rural Development Cherokee, NC
www.thecherokeescout.com
http//www.elkus-manfredi.com/mstrmix.html
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Transportation

• Compact Development Patterns
• Transit Oriented Development
• Create Commercial Nodes in Rural Areas
• Complete Streets

Transportation accounted for 29 of total U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions in 2006.  Fastest
growing source of GHGs, accounts for 47 of the
net increase in total U.S. emissions since 1990. 
http//melbourne.metblogs.com/archives/swanstonstr
eet20copenhagen20lane.jpg
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Natural Resources Management
Tipping Points Collapse of Atlantic Cod Stocks
Off the East Coast of Newfoundland in 1992
Climate Change and Wildfires
www.greenfacts.org
http//www.ehponline.org/docs/2007/115-1/fire.jpg
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Resource Management Tools

• Conservation Easements
• Use Value Taxation
• Transfer of Development Rights
• Soils-based zoning
• Clustered Development
• Urban Growth/Service Boundary
• Economic Development of Conserved Land

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Contribution of different conservation practices
to carbon sequestration potential in the U.S.
From Lal, Kimble, Follett and Cole. 1998. The
Potential of U.S. Cropland to Sequester Carbon
and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect.
http//www.casmgs.colostate.edu/about/pie_chart.jp
g
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Conservation measures in critical ecosystems can
have a tremendous impact on green house gas
emissions
http//courses.soil.ncsu.edu/ssc570/student_projec
ts/fall_2003/whiteoakcreek/Wetland_Soils.html
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Structure and Site Design

• Buildings use 70 of total U.S. electricity
  consumption.
• Buildings generate 39 of total U.S. CO2
  emissions.
• 30 of raw materials use is devoted to buildings.
• 12 of water use is consumed in buildings.
• 70 of landfill waste is generated from
  buildings.

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Environmental Impacts of Impervious Surfaces
Urban Heat Island Atlanta, Georgia
Storm water Runoff is the Leading Cause of Water
Pollution in the United States
http//earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImage
s/images.php3?img_id17489
http//www.acogok.org/images/DSC00519.jpg
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Green Infrastructure

• Reduce storm water runoff
• Mitigate urban heat island effect
• Reduce cooling needs
• Sequester CO2

Green Roof
www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov
Urban Forests
www.greenplanphiladelphia.com/node/56
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Bioswale
Xeriscaping With Native Plants
Bioretention Cell
http//www.csa.com/discoveryguides/green/images/xe
riscape.jpg
www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov
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Alternative Energy
SWIFT Rooftop Wind Turbines
Solar Hot Water System
http//www.inhabitat.com/2008/05/08/swift-ultra-qu
iet-rooftop-wind-turbine/
www.southbayenergyfair.com
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Public Health and Safety

• Communities need adaptive public safety responses
  to climate change
• Respond to new threats
• Consider needs of more vulnerable populations
• Lower income
• Elderly

• Heat waves
• Stronger storms
• Flooding
• Drought
• Wildfires

Maeslant storm surge barrier Port Rotterdam
Netherlands
http//dvice.com/archives/2007/11/maeslant_storm_s
urge_barrier_s.php
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Public Infrastructure
The 4,424,361 streetlights in our nations ten
largest metropolitan areas use an estimated
2,988,500,000 kWh of electricity annually,
producing 2.3 million metric tons of CO2
Confederation Bridge Longest Bridge Over Ice
Covered Water
Solar LED Street Light
http//chc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/images/coldregions/Proje
cts_b_opt.jpg
http//www.greengeek.ca/wp-content/uploads/2006/06
/solarlight2.jpg
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Urban Connectivity Greatly Reduces Vehicle Miles
Traveled
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