Relocation

Carsparked on flooded street in New Orleans with downtown high-rises visible in background.

Study: New Orleans sea level rise is at 'point of no return'

Research shows that the city could be surrounded by water by the end of this century.

May 11, 2026 - The Guardian

Brown floodwaters in residential neighborhood in New Jersey.

New Jersey Buyout Program Turns Flood-Prone Properties Into Green Buffer Zones

For 30 years, The Blue Acres program has offered homeowners in high-risk flood zones the chance to relocate, preserving land as open space.

December 28, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Bird's eye view of thin strip of land with palapas and palm trees in Tuvalu.

Sea Level Rise is Drowning This Pacific Island Nation; They Have a Plan

The nation of Tuvalu has created an ambitious plan to relocate its entire population and preserve key cultural and historic resources as rising seas threaten to wipe it out within three decades.

July 30, 2025 - Wired

Small green house on unfinished lot with red earthmover and workers in front yard.

Kentucky Nonprofits Build ‘Higher Ground’ Homes

After destructive floods displaced thousands of Kentucky families, developers are building climate-resilient homes away from flood-prone areas.

July 29, 2025 - Kentucky Lantern

Two small wooden one-story homes in Florida with floodwaters at their doors.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?

With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

June 16, 2025 - Governing

Aerial view of Waikiki Beach with hotels and mountains in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rising Above: Innovative Solutions for Waikīkī’s Sea-Level Challenges

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s award-winning Waikīkī sea-level rise adaptation project combines science, architecture, and community input to create scalable solutions for climate resilience and coastal flood mitigation.

January 28, 2025 - University of Hawai'i News

Environmentalism

Preparing for Climate Migration

Billions of people will have to relocate in the next decades. Are governments prepared?

November 27, 2024 - Wired

Aerial view of steep cliffs and large homes in Rancho Palos Verdes, California on Pacific Ocean.

Southern California City Offers Buyout to Homeowners Facing Erosion Threat

Power and gas were shut off to dozens of homes in Rancho Palos Verdes as landslides threatened homes and infrastructure. Now, the city is offering to buy the homes to help residents relocate.

October 30, 2024 - ABC 7

Asphalt road on coast with collapsed segments from erosion.

We Must Relocate to Prepare for Climate Change, and We Must Do it Now

As flooding, sea level rise, fires, and other climate impacts increase, we’ll need to move about 20 million Americans by 2100. Here’s how we can rethink managed retreat to get ahead of the rising tides.

August 8, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

View of Palos Verdes Drive along Pacific Ocean in Palos Verdes, California at sunset.

Erosion Threatens SoCal Road, Lloyd Wright Icon

The city of Palos Verdes is closing parts of a roadway to cyclists, citing safety concerns as the land underneath moves between 7 and 12 inches per week.

June 23, 2024 - Daily Breeze

Three people, one in fatigues and hard hat, standing in front of bulldozer discussing relocation plans in Newtok, Alaska.

Alaska Village Becomes Test Case for Climate Change Relocation

The Yup’ik village of Newtok is the first Alaska community to begin a full-scale relocation necessitated by the impacts of climate change. Another 31 Alaska communities remain vulnerable.

April 23, 2024 - Alaska Public Media

Flooded street in Houston, Texas.

Assessing Houston’s ‘Climate Abandonment Areas’

Most of the census tracts designated at high risk of flooding are in less affluent neighborhoods.

February 7, 2024 - Urban Edge

Flooded park agains the downtown Houston skyline

FEMA Reforms Disaster Assistance Rules

The changes make it easier for households facing evacuation to access relocation funds.

February 6, 2024 - Word In Black

Aerial view of flooded homes in coastal area of Florida after Hurricane Ian.

A Guide for Managed Retreat

Many communities at increased risk of flooding and wildfires will need to relocate. Here’s how local and regional governments can prepare.

January 22, 2024 - Route Fifty

Collapsed road on coastal cliff in California

Lessons in ‘Planned Relocation’

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

August 22, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Tulsa, Oklahoma city skyline at sunset

Tulsa’s Cash Incentive Drives Real Community

Thousands of remote workers moved to Tulsa to take advantage of a $10,000 incentive program. The vast majority of them stayed.

June 13, 2023 - Vox

National Guard troops clearing storm debris in Newtok, Alaska

Federal Grants Aid Native Relocation, but Will They Be Enough?

Increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, many Native Alaskan and other indigenous communities will have to relocate—and soon.

January 26, 2023 - High Country News

View of Washington State beach with grey rocks

Federal Grants Fund Tribal Relocation Efforts

Tribal communities threatened by climate change are opting to relocate or engage in ‘managed retreat’ to save their villages from sea level rise, erosion, flooding, and other climate impacts.

January 4, 2023 - The Daily Yonder

Moving Truck

Busting the 'Urban Exodus' Myth, Again

New numbers from the Census Bureau show that fewer Americans moved in 2020 than ever before, belying dire predictions about the death of cities and the hollowing out of urban neighborhoods.

December 23, 2021 - Pew Research Center

Manhattan Bus

NYC Expats Struggle With Their Decision to Leave

Strong place attachment makes it difficult for New Yorkers to settle into their new homes, but many are finding ways to recreate their favorite parts of the city elsewhere.

August 15, 2021 - New York Times

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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