APA-HI Lunch Talk:

Integrating Science with Community Knowledge through Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessments in West Kaua‘i

• Ruby Pap (University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program)
• Alisha Summers (UHM Department of Urban and Regional Planning)

Join the Zoom Meeting directly through the Online Event on Eventbrite.

Presentation begins promptly at 12:00 noon.

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Like many low-lying coastal regions of the world, the County of Kauaʻi is vulnerable to the impacts of present and future coastal hazards associated with climate change. The West Kauaʻi Community Vulnerability Assessment worked with local West Side communities to identify vulnerabilities and generate ideas for adapting to change. Recommendations for the West Kauaʻi Community Plan, a separate, but related process, were also generated. The project supported State and County goals to prepare for the impacts of climate change. Ultimately, the outcomes will help guide implementation plans, policies, and adaptation strategies to increase resilience to coastal hazards.

The process was facilitated by a team from the University of Hawai’i Sea Grant College Program and the UH Department of Urban and Regional Planning using techniques to help guide and document the conversation, as well as, processes for solutions and decision making.

A community vulnerability assessment is a process whereby the community comes together to discuss specific areas of concern and identify potential solutions. Who is the community? In this case it was anyone who lives or works on the West Side of Kaua‘i, including asset and infrastructure managers, business and land owners, and anyone who cares for the future of their resources.

This program shares:

• the purpose of the vulnerability assessment;
• the VCAPS (Vulnerability, Consequences, and Adaptation Planning Scenarios) participatory modeling process used as part of the assessment; and
• the identified potential solutions (i.e., adaptations) to reduce vulnerability.

More project information and the final report are available at: https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/coastal-and-climate-science-and-resilience/ccs-projects/west-kauai-community-vulnerability-assessment/

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About the Presenters:

Ruby Pap is a Coastal Land Use Extension Agent with the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program based on the Island of Kaua‘i with the County Planning Department. She serves as a liaison between researchers, agencies, NGOs and the community, to ensure that the most current scientific information is made available to the Kaua‘i community and readily accessible for coastal zone planning, management, and educational activities.

Alisha Summers is a second year Master’s student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM). Her field of interest focuses on environmental planning and natural resource management. She worked for a year as a Graduate Research Assistant under the direction of DURP Professor, Dr. Daniele Spirandelli, and Hawai‘i Sea Grant Coastal Land Use Extension Agent, Ruby Pap, in assistance with the West Kaua‘i Community Vulnerability Assessment.

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• Please join the Zoom Meeting directly through the Online Event on Eventbrite.
• The cost is FREE for APA/APA-HI members; $5 for non-members; and free for students.
• AICP Members: This event will be submitted to APA for CM credits (1.0 credit). After attending the event, you should be able to register the CM credits.