Research Assistant
PhD Student
Department of Geography & Environmental Management, Faculty of Environment
University of Waterloo
Ben is a PhD student working with Dr. Brent Doberstein at the University of Waterloo, but he is based in Nelson, BC where he has worked for the BC Government for the past decade on water management and floodplain mapping. Ben has been a leading force in reshaping the conversation around managed retreat in BC. Pushing the boundary on foregrounding community values and equity among cost-benefit analyses, Ben is shifting the narrative of managed retreat to seem more approachable and give agency and choice back to the community.
Select Publications
- Cross, B., Doberstein, B., & Lueck, V. (2025). Improving economic assessment and decision-making for managed retreat through CBA+: A targeted literature review. Frontiers in Climate.
- Cross, B., Doberstein, B., & Lueck, V. (2024). Community-led managed retreat: Assessment and decision-making (2-pager). Living With Water project.
- Cross, B., Doberstein, B., & Lueck, V. (2024). Economic assessment and decision-making for managed retreat in British Columbia: Approaches, challenges, and case studies of cost-benefit analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis. Living With Water project.