Comparing Hazard Mitigation Plans and Climate Change Adaptation Plans as Strategies to Foster Community Resilience

In response to the increasing loss of life and property, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires that cities and counties develop Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs) to identify hazard risks and strategies to mitigate them. Climate Change Adaptation Plans (CCAPs), on the other hand, aim to reduce the long-term impacts of a changing climate. These plans are usually treated as separate and distinct, but conceptually, both climate change adaptation and hazard mitigation anticipate extreme flood events and address them through mitigation strategies. Both approaches affect community resilience but differ significantly; still, empirical evidence shows the plans are complementary. Focusing on Boston, a leader in climate change adaptation that has two stand-alone plans, we compare the roles of these plan types and their implications for vulnerability to flooding. This case study encourages readers to identify opportunities to better integrate these two planning instruments.