What is managed retreat? | Retreating from Risk (RFR)

Managed retreat is the strategic relocation of homes, infrastructure, and other community assets from high-risk areas.

It requires the removal of human-made structures that impede or are affected by naturally occurring processes in at-risk areas, such as floodplains and wildland-urban interfaces. Retreat can take several forms, including but not limited to the managed realignment of flood protection infrastructure, property buyout and land acquisition programs, public land trusts and conservation easements, and community resettlement.

INTEGRATING MANAGED RETREAT INTO ADAPTATION PLANNING

Managed retreat—the purposeful, coordinated movement of people and assets out of harm's way—is a controversial and often overlooked adaptation tool but also a potentially transformative one.

Dr. A.R. Siders

Why is managed retreat important for adaptation planning?

Some places are becoming uninhabitable because of climate change, shifting how we approach community planning.

Climate change is transforming our landscapes, impacting natural ecosystems, the built environment, and the communities we call home. In many parts of the world, communities are grappling with the increasing severity and frequency of hazard events, like floods, fires, and extreme weather. In some cases, once habitable places may no longer be safe or viable under future climate conditions. For some communities, such as those experiencing recurrent flood risks or the gradual loss of land due to coastal erosion and sea-level rise, integrating strategic relocation into disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation planning may be essential.

What are the current challenges?

While managed retreat is not a new concept, as a climate adaptation strategy it presents unaddressed social, cultural, legal, ethical, financial, political, and logistical challenges—particularly as a proactive and equitable approach to addressing long-term risks.

Traditionally, managed retreat has been implemented reactively following a disaster, and in top-down ways that have too often overlooked the diverse needs of affected communities. Managed retreat programs face public and political opposition as they may have adverse consequences for the community’s social fabric and economic well-being. In addition, success is not guaranteed and the outcomes of these programs are subject to debate. Additionally, the entities that are most often tasked with implementing relocation programs, including municipalities and Indigenous communities, are often ill-prepared to take on the many decisions and elements that go into successful programs.

This is why there is an urgent need to identify the enabling conditions that contribute to successful managed retreat programs, as well as to support decision-makers in determining what is required to implement an equitable relocation program, limiting the risks of maladaptation and the potential for exacerbated inequalities.

How can managed retreat be integrated into existing planning processes?

Retreat is just one tool in the adaptation toolbox, and can be proactively integrated into a mixed suite of planning approaches.

Adaptation is not a one-size-fits-all approach; adapting to climate change will require iterative problem-solving, collaborative processes, and creative solutions. That's why it is important to consider managed retreat as part of a broader toolkit that includes protective measures, nature-based solutions, flood-proofing retrofits, adaptive structures and elements that work with flooding, and other non-structural planning tools (e.g., zoning, land-use regulations).

Globally, many communities are exploring different flood adaptation options, including the strategic relocation of homes, assets, and infrastructure. For some communities or locations, other approaches within the PARA framework, such as protect, accommodate, or avoid, might be better aligned with local values. In other cases, elements of retreat may be integrated within long-term planning for community resilience, allowing communities to prioritize where, when, how, and why to retreat (or not) within a given context.

The PARA framework developed by Doberstein et al. 2019 — The PARA framework and resilience—each of the four main approaches has the potential to contribute to the “big picture” of community flood resilience (Doberstein et al., 2019)

What might equitable, proactive, and community-led managed retreat look like?

Process matters: Re-envisioning managed retreat as equitable, proactive, and community-led

Engaging communities in adaptation planning early, often, and equitably is essential to minimizing harms, redressing historical inequalities, and ensuring that all voices are considered. Empowering communities to contribute to co-designing shared visions for the future allows for intentional adaptation, allowing communities to prioritize actions that align with their values.