Adaptive Design Planning: Sea Level Rise in Long Beach Communities

Introduction

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In partnership with the Aquarium of the Pacific, The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Geological Survey and the City of Long Beach, this DesignStorm challenged transdisciplinary ArtCenter students to address the impact of rising sea level on the Long Beach communities of Belmont Shore, Naples Island and the Peninsula.  Students developed adaptive design planning models along with short-, medium- and long-term resilient solutions that incorporate temporary and permanent concepts to allow residents to remain in their homes as long as possible.

Background – Sea Level Rise

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sea level has been rising over the past century around the world, but that rate has dramatically increased in recent decades. In 2018, global mean sea level was 3.2 inches above the 1993 average – the highest average in the satellite record (1993-present).

Overall, sea level continues to rise at a rate of about one-eighth of an inch per year.

Higher sea levels mean that deadly and destructive storm surges push farther inland than they once did, which also results in more frequent nuisance flooding. Disruptive and expensive, nuisance flooding is estimated to be from 300-percent to 900-percent more frequent within many U.S. coastal communities than it was just 50 years ago. In addition, many climate models show low-lying coastal areas will be effectively inundated, or permanently underwater, in the next century.

In the United States, almost 40 percent of the population lives in relatively high-population-density coastal areas, where sea level plays a role in flooding, shoreline erosion, and hazards from storms.

Day One

Student Icebreaking Prompt, Empathetic Role-Playing, Team Ideation

The DesignStorm kicked-off with students displaying their field trip observations; these visual representations connected stakeholders who will be affected by rising sea level and included homeowners, government officials, tourists, companies, and more.

A formal welcome introduced the faculty (Heidrun Mumper-Drumm, Gerardo Herrera and Mariana Prieto) and stakeholders who would also have an active presence for the DesignStorm: Jerry Schubel, President and CEO of the Aquarium of the Pacific; Alyssa Newton Mann, Coastal Project Director at The Nature Conservancy; and Bob Grove, ArtCenter faculty member and Aquarium docent.

Through engaging hand-drawn illustrations by Teaching Assistant Lovisa Lund, white boards surrounding the classroom preserved and presented notes, class activities and key concepts that teams could quickly reference throughout the entire DesignStorm.

The students introduced themselves via an icebreaking prompt, an exercise that also fueled discussion on critical concepts about the nature of resiliency. One by one, students described a personal story answering the question, “When did you find that you had to adapt to a situation that changed? How and what did you do?”

Individual accounts of challenges, surprises and unexpected happenings dovetailed into bigger lessons about planning for emergencies and methods of adaptation. Some students from Pacific/Asian countries related personal accounts of how flooding has affected their homelands and hometowns.

Students discussed how transitional adjustments can be created and accepted when situations radically change and normal isn’t normal anymore. Conversations stressed the importance of understanding the difference between adaption vs. reaction, the resiliency of youth, and methods to move people and projects into action especially if imminent danger isn’t directly obvious.

Two presentations followed which offered students even more resources and information to use during their ideation.

Julian Calil, CEO and Co-Founder of Virtual Planet Tech that translates imagery into 3-D representations, presented specific realistic aerial views of the Long Beach neighborhoods that are part of the DesignStorm focus. Calil explained the process of marrying the photographic images with 3D models and data from USGS to create the images and forecast future possibilities. Additionally, this technology can take into account how certain strategies – i.e. sea walls, sand dunes – can mitigate and/or reduce the effects of rising sea level.

A presentation by Mann from The Nature Conservancy provided a general overview of the hazards of climate change along with nature-based solutions that have been proven effective. Mann described impending disasters as increased flooding, wildfires and more as climate change progresses, especially when it comes to coastal habitat. She outlined ways that the Conservancy is advocating for resiliency as coastlines disappear and shorelines are submerged. Additionally, Mann presented ways her organization is communicating and educating the public about the realities of sea level rise, offering methods for “managed retreats” in order to reduce risks, relocate strategically and effectively use natural solutions.

Mann explained how seawalls have historically been used in California; today more than 10 percent of the entire coastline is propped up by such reinforcements. Sand from pounding waves can eventually “scour” and erode seawalls. Better solutions for combatting the rising waves include: planting oyster reefs, revitalizing coastal marshlands and creating vegetative dunes.

Empathy Exercise – Seeing Through Other Eyes

As they digested all the presentation information, students engaged in an exercise of role-playing Long Beach stakeholders who will be affected by rising sea level.

In small groups, students assumed various identities: a longtime resident, Coastal Commissioner, city official, contractor, etc. At each table, a guest would play themselves (Mann: Nature Conservancy, Schubel: Aquarium of the Pacific, etc.). Groups were given appropriate funds and policy options. The goal was to prioritize policy through negotiation and have everyone leave the table with a “sense of hope.” 

In character, students argued, compromised, reflected and determined which policies to support with their assets. They debated the pros and cons, discovered the ramifications of their actions on certain groups and looked at worst case scenarios.

Prizes were given to the group who achieved the task in record time.

After the exercise, the class discussed the surprises and frustrations of working with individuals who have a diverse set of goals and aspirations. They realized that certain groups tend to compromise more than others; while other groups are traditionally more vulnerable to change. Of the numerous insights gleamed from the exercise, the students concluded that having to consider multiple points of view can be overwhelming, but necessary.

Discussion, Ideation and Preliminary Presentation

During a working lunch, students had the opportunity to don a set of Virtual Planet Tech goggles to experience a VR simulation of sea level rise.

In the afternoon, students brainstormed “What if…” concepts, highly aspirational Blue Sky ideas that could inspire down-to-earth solutions. Among the possibilities, students ideated about co-existing with water, how communities could be created around flood waters, and how floating cities could one day the norm.

From the hundreds of potential concepts, students clustered like-ideas together and viewed the solution from practical applications of how it addresses inequalities, responds to new risks, changes behavior, protects the ecosystem and improves infrastructure.

Students were divided into three-member teams and were instructed to present three preliminary directions to investigate for their final solution. With the clock ticking, they sketched out concepts, created storyboards, referred to scientific research and fleshed out possibilities to make a presentation at the end of the day.

Even with less than a few hours of preparation, student teams presented their initial concepts to an audience, explaining the science supporting their design thinking and outlining the best methods to implement their ideas. Audience members offered thoughtful and encouraging feedback, often suggesting which ideas seemed to have the most merit and possibilities.

At the end of the day, teams regrouped, distilled their ideas by combining concepts and eliminating others. They divvied up duties moving forward to the next day.

Day Three

Preparation, Presentation, Debriefing

The final day began with students entering the classroom which was now an active design workshop filled with models, 3D representations, mapping, and small prototypes of structures. Teams had a few hours to hone their ideas and put on the finishing touches.

Teams referred to their notes, Post-it ideas, white boards and conceptual revisions to create a step-by-step visual storyboard depiction of how communities would implement, use and benefit from their concept.

As teams transformed their ideas into graphic 2D and 3D representations, instructors stopped by to question choices, challenge their thinking and offer practical structural advice.

In the afternoon, the room was prepared for the visitors. Once they arrived, guests – which also included Long Beach city planners, Aquarium and Nature Conservancy staff members – were given an overview of the DesignStorm challenge before the final presentations.