Mitigation + Adaptation Strategies for Historic Structures and Sites Adrienne Burke, Esq., MSAS, LEED AP+ Executive Director, Riverside Avondale Preservation, Jacksonville, FL Cultural Resources, Disaster Resiliency + Climate Uncertainty St. Augustine 15 November 2016
Historic Preservation. what is it?
Protection of the built environment buildings, objects, landscapes, sites
How do you decide what to protect?
Significance and integrity
What s Facing Historic Buildings, Districts + Sites? Nuisance Flooding (precipitation/ high tides) Sea Level Rise Storm Surge http://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/052014land marks#infographic Union of Concerned Scientists: Landmarks at Risk
General Planning Strategies Community Discussion Strategic Messaging Establish Planning Threshold Timeframe and estimated impact Miami-Dade SLR Task Force June 2014 recommendation 2 SLR by 2060 Keep in mind SLR is moving target
General Planning Strategies Scenario Planning Exercise Evaluate historic bad flooding event as a benchmark of impacts Try to determine something 50% worse and associated impacts Vulnerability Assessments Look at critical infrastructure and facilities, transportation issues, community plans, mitigation plans, business and economic sector, social systems Insert cultural resources as a vulnerable asset Determine cultural resource vulnerabilities Implementation Strategies www.adaptingtorisingtides.org www.floridajobs.org
Planning Tools City and County Comprehensive Plans Resiliency and Sustainability Plans Historic Preservation Plans Site Specific Plans (ex: Bosque Bello Cemetery Master Plan) FEMA required Local Mitigation Strategies
Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Plan Five year plan required by FEMA Identifies pre-disaster mitigation strategies for a community FEMA Mitigation Ideas publication Addresses flooding and SLR but not cultural resources Added cultural resources mitigation study for project list Working on grant application for floodplain mitigation study for Amelia River waterfront in historic downtown
Jacksonville Vulnerability At 6 Rise http://www.corpsclimate.us/ccaceslcurves.cfm Jax 6 Rise https://coast.noaa.gov/slr Jax 4 Rise UCS Encroaching Tides Flooding Events: Today (7), 2030 (25), 2045 (101)
Fernandina Beach Vulnerability Lucky to have 100+ year old tide gauge (#8720030) shows about 7 SLR over past 110 years UCS Encroaching Tides: 8 floods by 2030; 37 by 2045 Community Asset Vulnerability Map City and County planning staff identified community assets and they were mapped at 1, 3 and 6 of SLR. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sea Level Rise Curves 1992-2172 Three probability levels 2052: between 1.5 2.5 rise
Bosque Bello Cemetery (Fernandina) Vulnerability NOAA SLR viewer Archaeological Predictive model Storm surge Wetlands GIS integration of headstones and plots 3 SLR 6 SLR
Strategies for Historic Buildings + Sites Protect (Mitigation) Accommodate (Adaptation) Retreat Document
PROTECT Hard (Traditional) Engineering Traditional levee Seawall/Revetment Tidal gate Wall + Pump Station Courtesy of Alex Westhoff, AICP, Marin County, CA
PROTECT Soft (Nature-based) Engineering Horizontal levee Dune restoration + beach maintenance Wetland/ shoreline vegetation Offshore structure Courtesy of Alex Westhoff, AICP, Marin County, CA
ACCOMMODATE Elevate buildings Elevate Road or New Road Dry Floodproof Buildings Amphibiate Buildings Let Flood (Wet Floodproofing) Portions courtesy of Alex Westhoff, AICP, Marin County, CA
Buoyant Foundation Project http://buoyantfoundation.org NYC Retrofitting Buildings for Flood Risk
RETREAT Relocation Abandonment Managed Retreat Portions courtesy of Alex Westhoff, AICP, Marin County, CA
Managed Retreat
DOCUMENTATION Historic American Building Survey Cultural Resource Inventory Portions courtesy of Alex Westhoff, AICP, Marin County, CA
Documentation + Technology Photo credit: Sujin Kim Use of laser technology to document structures, model in 3D and apply sea level rise modeling scenarios. A 2014 estimate puts 720 of 1,007 UNESCO World Heritage sites at risk from sea level rise. There is no survey of threatened heritage along Florida s 1,350 miles of coastline although almost any Floridian can name a favorite iconic site and Hylton says that was the impetus for the Resilient Resources Initiative, a collaboration of the Envision Heritage Program and the GeoPlan Center in UF s College of Design, Construction & Planning. http://explore.research.ufl.edu/laser-legacy.html Marty Hylton, University of Florida
Hybrid Strategies Lopez, John A., 2006, The Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy to Sustain Coastal Louisiana, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Metairie, LA January 2006 + Documentation!
What has to be taken into account? Floodplain Management/FEMA Requirements Army Corps Regulations Section 106 Review Secretary of the Interior Standards Florida Building Code Coastal Construction DEP Permitting Local Comprehensive Plans Local Historic District Regulations and Guidelines Land Development Codes Others?
Historic district progress Annapolis, MD - Weather It Together Newport, RI - historyabovewater.org Alexandria, VA waterfront plan Miami Beach street improvements?
QUESTIONS For Communities FUNDING! STAFF RESOURCES! Prioritizing critical infrastructure vs. cultural resources Arguably, when heritage tourism is a large component of a visitor base, then cultural resources are important infrastructure Identifying mitigation options and strategies Time to work with individual property owners on mitigation options and strategies Protecting large-scale resources like cemeteries or cultural landscapes Community engagement + volunteers
Adrienne Burke Riverside Avondale Preservation 2623 Herschel Street Jacksonville, FL 32204 adrienne@riversideavondale.org 904-389-2449