Melissa May AICP
Manager
Senior Planner | Associate
Resilience Practice Leader
Manager, Strategic Services Group

Addressing Coastal Erosion on O‘ahu’s North Shore

North Shore Coastal Resilience Working Group addresses our disappearing shorelines.

SSFM partnered with Surfrider Foundation and Hawai‘i Sea Grant to convene the state’s first working group around coastal resilience issues on the North Shore of O‘ahu. The North Shore is particularly vulnerable to severe coastal erosion that is worsening with sea level rise and increasingly affecting public infrastructure and private development. Protecting development along much of the North Shore’s coastline means sacrificing iconic beaches, coastal ecosystems, and surf breaks that are synonymous with the region’s identity. 

 The working group met six times in 2021 and 2022, and included nearly 30 community members, beachfront landowners, elected officials, State and City agencies, planners, engineers, and non-profits. A white paper summarizing the group’s findings and recommendations identifies priority policy changes and implementation actions needed to address coastal resilience and promote coastal preservation. The recommendations will be used to advocate for needed legislation and to help inform policies and actions within the North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan (NSSCP), the City’s 25-year plan for the region, which is currently being updated with SSFM as the lead consultant.

Click the following link to view the final report for the North Shore Coastal Resilience group:

Adaptive Coastal Management Recommendations, Actions and Strategies

ADDRESSING COASTAL EROSION ON O‘AHU’s NORTH SHORE

North Shore Coastal Resilience Working Group addresses our disappearing shorelines.

SSFM partnered with Surfrider Foundation and Hawai‘i Sea Grant to convene the state’s first working group around coastal resilience issues on the North Shore of O‘ahu. The North Shore is particularly vulnerable to severe coastal erosion that is worsening with sea level rise and increasingly affecting public infrastructure and private development. Protecting development along much of the North Shore’s coastline means sacrificing iconic beaches, coastal ecosystems, and surf breaks that are synonymous with the region’s identity. 

The working group met six times in 2021 and 2022, and included nearly 30 community members, beachfront landowners, elected officials, State and City agencies, planners, engineers, and non-profits. A white paper summarizing the group’s findings and recommendations identifies priority policy changes and implementation actions needed to address coastal resilience and promote coastal preservation. The recommendations will be used to advocate for needed legislation and to help inform policies and actions within the North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan (NSSCP), the City’s 25-year plan for the region, which is currently being updated with SSFM as the lead consultant.

Click the following link to view the final report for the North Shore Coastal Resilience group:

Adaptive Coastal Management Recommendations, Actions and Strategies

Melissa May AICP
Manager
Senior Planner | Associate
Resilience Practice Leader
Manager, Strategic Services Group