How communities can manage climate-induced relocation successfully and equitably.

A new paper published in Nature Climate Change examines the financial, physical, and cultural outcomes of managed retreat through 14 examples from around the world.
As Ysabelle Kempe explains in Smart Cities Dive, the authors found that strong community engagement is key to successful ‘planned relocation’—the linguistic distinction matters, according to the study—which can occur when neighborhoods or towns find themselves at risk from coastal erosion, flooding, or other climate factors that make living in their current location unsustainable.
The study found that characteristics of the new location matter, but geographic distance may not be the most important factor in how easily people adjust: elevation change, social networks, and other factors can also impact how comfortable people feel in a new community.
The authors emphasize that “Planned relocation should never be the only option,” but that “It should be an open conversation where communities are informed about the range of options and then given their own time and space to come to conclusions about what makes sense.”
According to the study, “There's evidence to suggest that adaptation works best when it happens in a polycentric governance scheme involving many scales of government,” from national to local.
FULL STORY: What managed retreat around the world can teach US cities

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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Planning for Universal Design
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Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie