Volpe Center | Research and Innovation

Volpe Center Public Lands

Projects - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Federal Highway Administration

Cape Cod, MA

Scenario Planning Workshop
(Image courtesy of the Volpe Center)

Interagency Transportation, Land Use, and Climate Change Pilot Project
Numerous regions of scenic beauty and environmental significance - some of which include large areas of Federally-owned land - will be adversely affected by shifting weather patterns and impacts associated with climate change. To help develop long-term mitigation and adaptation strategies, the Volpe Center worked with a team of federal, regional, and state stakeholders to execute a scenario planning pilot project on Cape Cod, Massachusetts to integrate climate change considerations into existing and continuing transportation, land use, coastal zone, and hazard mitigation planning processes. The one-pager below summarizes the project.

Pilot Project One-Pager (PDF, 163KB)

If you are interested in pursuing a process similar to that which this pilot project employed, please contact the project manager: benjamin.rasmussen@dot.gov or 617-494-2768.

Project Documents
The Volpe Center has developed a guidebook that discusses the steps taken during the pilot project and presents lessons learned and recommendations that will guide other areas in pursuing a similar multi-agency approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and plan for climate change impacts through integrated transportation and land use scenario planning. In addition, the scenario planning consultant has produced a supplemental report that details the methodology and results of the scenario development and includes discussion on limitations and future opportunities.

A Framework for Considering Climate Change in Transportation and Land Use Scenario Planning: Lessons Learned from an Interagency Pilot Project on Cape Cod: Final Report (PDF, 1.5MB)

Appendices (PDF, 650KB)

Appendix A: Planning Group and Technical Committee Charters and Rosters (PDF, 63KB)
Appendix B: Literature Review (PDF, 129KB)
Appendix C: Request for Proposals (PDF, 115KB)
Appendix D: List of Potential Performance Indicators (PDF, 45KB)
Appendix E: Vulnerable Area Map and Key (PDF, 142KB)
Appendix F: Potential GHG Reduction Strategies (PDF, 49KB)
Appendix G: Priority Transportation Strategies for Cape Cod (PDF, 53KB)
Appendix H: Scenario Planning Workshop Agenda (PDF, 33KB)

Technical Scenario Report (PDF, 4.4MB, Updated November 2011)

The Federal Highway Administration funded the Volpe Center to develop an "Action Plan" for the Cape Cod Commission. The Action Plan summarizes the data, methods, and assumptions used to develop the Refined scenario, as well as opportunities to integrate the Refined scenario as it currently stands into regional and local planning processes and build upon it using CommunityViz.

Cape Cod Commission Action Plan (PDF, 563KB)

Project References:

American Planning Association, Planning magazine (October 2011): High-Touch/High-Tech Charrettes.

Esri, ArcNews (Fall 2011): Climate Change Scenario Planning for Cape Cod: A Collaborative Exercise in GeoDesign. http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall11articles/climate-change-scenario-planning-for-cape-cod.html

CommunityViz Case Study: Climate Change Scenario Planning. http://placeways.com/communityviz/gallery/casestudies/pdf/CapeCod.pdf

Related Resources:

FHWA Scenario Planning Website

Cape Cod National Seashore Scenario Planning Website

National Park Service Climate change Response Program: Adaptation and Scenario Planning

US Fish & Wildlife Service Climate Change Website

Scenario planning consultants and software: Placeways, CommunityViz, PlaceMatters