What can Charleston and other coastal cities teach South Florida about sea-level rise?

The point is, cities have to pay close attention, and have the proper bandwidth. “If you’re going to engage the Corps and innovate with the Corps,” he said, “you have to have the staff to do so.”

“Within the constructs of the Army Corps of Engineers process, these things can be done. You just have to demand that they do it. We have to show them how to do this.”

The original Corps plan for Charleston has a utilitarian vertical seawall that looked more like a concrete cage hemming the city in.

“You can do better with the Army Corps of Engineers if you push them,” he said.

Charleston’s alternative design shows restored marshes and oyster beds in the harbor, then a series of steps with landscaping leading up to an elevated promenade. It’s the same height as a vertical sea wall would be, and offers the same protection, but it’s essentially an elevated park with ecosystem benefits.

“When we move into the design phase,” he said, “we are going to set the alignment. We are going to set how beautiful it is, how people access it. That may cost a little more, but that’s OK. But you can’t wish it into existence, you have to be very intentional about the design with the Army Corps. So that’s what we’re doing.”

Lessons from New Orleans

New Orleans, much of which sits below sea level, has had its share of natural disasters, and in turn its share of learning how to recover. Panelist LaToya Cantrell, mayor of New Orleans, said that enrolling the community in recovery is crucial.

She said that when Category 4 Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans in 2021, the recovery spawned bright ideas that are in the works today. Sections of the city lost power for three weeks. Restaurants had food, but it spoiled and they couldn’t feed anyone.

“Instead of all this food going bad, they came up with a concept: Let’s make sure that our restaurants are outfitted with solar power so they can operate when the lights go out and feed the community. They become a resilience hub,” she said.

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