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Local Government Adaptation Assistance Program

BCDC staff has taken a lead in developing an adaptation assistance program (AAP) to provide information and resources Bay Area local and regional governments to assist them in planning for and adapting to the impacts of a changing climate.  These outreach efforts primarily focus on addressing the needs of land use planning, public works, park and open space districts, flood control districts and wastewater authorities, as well as resource-based managers.

The AAP aims to help San Francisco Bay Area communities achieve coordinated and region-wide adaptation to climate change impacts by building capacity within local governments to assess climate change issues, and to plan for and implement adaptation strategies.

BCDC has identified five broad program components for accomplishing this objective:

• building partnerships that cut across jurisdictional boundaries, both geographic and sectoral; 
• public outreach to build community and institutional support for adaptation planning;
• education to help planners and managers develop knowledge and skills for adaptation planning;
• creation of a “one-stop shop” website and information clearinghouse; and
• development and dissemination of strategies to improve the region’s resilience and adaptive capacity.

Briefing to the Commission on the Local Government Adaptation Assistance Program [ 1.2MB ]( March 3, 2011 )

Case Studies

• Designing Public Shoreline Spaces for a Rising Bay
• Incorporating Adaptation to Climate Change in Pinole’s General Plan Update
• The City of Berkeley Builds Resilience by Addressing Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in its Climate Action Plan
• Case Study: San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority Factors Future Sea Level Rise into Coordinated, Watershed-Level Flood Protection

Bay Area Climate Change Adaptation Workshops and Trainings

Links to materials from Bay Area educational events on adaptation planning led or co-sponsored by BCDC.

• Preparing for Sea Level Rise in the Bay Area - A Local Government Forum (Apr 2008)
• Regional Climate Change Research Forum - Identifying Research Needs for Climate Change Adaptation (Sep 24, 2008)
• Planning for Climate Change Workshops (Sep 22 & 23, 2009)
• Adapting to Climate Change: A Training for Coastal and Marine Resource Managers (Feb 22-26, 2010)
• Addressing Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in Climate Action Plans and General Plan Updates (Sep 13, 2010)
• Data and Tools for Incorporating Climate Change Impacts into Community Planning and Project Design (March 30, 2011)
• Planning for the Bay of the Future: Resources for Coastal Climate Change Adaptation (May 23, 2012)

Online Training Opportunities for Climate Change Planning

• Planning for Climate Change Workshop
  Link to all the materials and video for the Planning for Climate Change Workshop, an introductory, 1-day training on adaptation planning, offered by Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WA) in April 2009. The September 22 & 23, 2009 Bay Area workshops were modeled on this piloted workshop.
• NOAA Coastal Services Center
  The NOAA Coastal Services Center provides training to the nation's coastal resource management community. This site includes trainings on geospatial tools for coastal managers, planning tools and training on other technical tools. Highly recommended.
  

Resources for Bay Area Local Governments

Partners

Coastal Training Program, San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (SF NERR)

NOAA Coastal Services Center (NOAA CSC)

Center for Ocean Solutions

ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability

National Marine Sanctuaries

Gulf of the Farallones

Association of Bay Area Governments

California Coastal Commission

Contacts

Sara Polgar
Coastal Planner
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission
50 California Street, Suite 2600
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 352-3654
sarap@bcdc.ca.gov