City of Alameda
The Oakland-Alameda Adaptation Committee, formed in 2021, is a coalition of communities and stakeholders working to coordinate and accelerate sea level rise adaptation, protect and restore water quality, recreation, and habitat, and promote community resilience. The Committee comprises over 30 members, including city and Port staff, community-based organizations, Tribal liaisons, and Caltrans, East Bay Regional Park District, and other local, state, and federal agency staff. The project area covers the low-lying communities surrounding the San Leandro Bay Estuary, including the City of Alameda, City of Oakland, and the Port of Oakland/Oakland International Airport (Port). This includes Oakland’s most underserved community in deep East Oakland. Community leaders are directly engaged in the project to support equitable outcomes within these communities, including green corridor connections to the Bay shoreline, a resilience hub, and other amenities to be determined through community outreach and engagement. The Committee aims to be a leader in coordinated adaptation planning and implementation at this subregional scale.
The Committee launched three parallel projects: 1) Subregional Long-Term Adaptation Plan, 2) Oakland-Alameda Estuary Adaptation Project, and 3) Bay Farm Island Adaptation Project. The projects are funded by grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, California Department of Transportation, San Francisco Estuary Partnership, and the City of Alameda.
Pathways Climate Institute, in collaboration with CMG Landscape Architecture (prime) and a team of multi-disciplinary subject matter experts, is leading the subregional long-term adaptation plan and supporting both near-term projects, one of which is anticipated to achieve 60% design. Pathways is also leading grant writing efforts to secure additional federal funding.
The long-term plan will rely on an adaptation pathways approach, with near term actions to address high priority near term flood risks and community benefits, and long-term actions that can address high rates of sea level rise, rising groundwater, and increasing precipitation intensity during extreme events.