Sea Level Rise Regional Planning Initiatives | Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Source: https://mtc.ca.gov/planning/resilience/sea-level-rise-regional-planning-initiatives
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:21
Sea Level Rise Regional Planning Initiatives | Metropolitan Transportation Commission
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Friday, April 17, 2026
Update
Sea Level Rise Regional Planning Initiatives
MTC, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and regional partners are working together to respond to near-term sea level rise adaptation.
Credit
Noah Berger
Sea level rise is a challenge that requires regional collaboration – from MTC, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and regional partners – to build a resilient Bay Area. These groups are working together to identify projects and funding that can help communities adapt to the near-term effects of sea level rise.
Working Together: Plan Bay Area 2050+ & the Resilience Project List
Plan Bay Area 2050+
is the Bay Area’s long-range plan for transportation, housing, the environment and the economy. Plan Bay Area 2050+
estimates a $96 billion cost
to adapt hundreds of miles of Bay Area shoreline to protect against the harms of sea level rise.
Building on Past Efforts
Plan Bay Area 2050+ refined the work from the
2023 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework
by:
Conducting outreach and updating the Framework estimation to identify a $96 billion need for sea level rise adaptation projects.
Developing a
Resilience Project List
which prioritizes sea level rise investments based on urgency (when see level rise impacts are expected, also known as inundation timing) and project readiness.
Plan Bay Area 2050+ Resilience Project List Report
Learn more about the Resilience Project List – what it is, why it exists and what projects are included.
View the report.
Plan Bay Area 2050+ Resilience Project List Map
See what is planned for sea level rise adaptation and where additional planning may be needed.
View the web map.
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding & Investment Strategy (Investment Strategy)
The Investment Strategy is a regional initiative led by the
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
with support from MTC and ABAG.
The project builds on previous planning efforts, including the S
ea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework (2021-2023)
and
Plan Bay Area 2050+.
The Problem
Since only $6.5 billion in funding is anticipated through 2050, a nearly $90 billion funding gap must be addressed through regional coordination.
MTC and Bay Area agencies must work together to understand vulnerabilities, identify key projects and connect those projects to funding. These are critical steps required to safeguard communities, infrastructure and natural systems.
The Solution: Dashboard Coming in Summer 2026
The Investment Strategy Dashboard – to be released in 2026 – will improve and link key datasets so MTC and regional partners can help connect projects to funding and build the foundation for regional collaboration around sea level rise adaptation funding.
The searchable dashboard will help users find adaptation projects and easily sort and filter funding opportunities. The dashboard will also generate summaries that can be used to highlight key insights to support project sponsors, decision makers and funders.
MTC expects to release the first version of the dashboard in summer 2026, with regular data updates to follow.
Recent Sea Level Rise Planning Initiatives
With each of the following planning initiatives, MTC, ABAG and partners are shaping a cohesive regional response to sea level rise.
Interagency Sea Level Rise Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (2024)
In July 2024, Bay Area agencies signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
to coordinate funding and investment efforts for sea level rise adaptation. Signers include MTC, ABAG, BCDC, the Bay Area Regional Collaborative (BARC), California State Coastal Conservancy (SCC), and the San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP). The purpose of the MOU is to:
Align agencies on a shared approach to funding and implementation.
Help streamline planning efforts across agencies.
Establish BCDC as the lead in developing the Investment Strategy, with MTC-ABAG as key partners.
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding & Investment Framework (2023)
The
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework
study, co-led by MTC, ABAG and BCDC, was the first to quantify the Bay Area’s sea level rise adaptation needs. The study provided a foundation for future funding initiatives, such as future Plan Bay Area cycles and the Investment Strategy. The final report:
Identified a $110 billion need for sea level rise adaptation projects.
Forecasted only $5 billion in anticipated funding through 2050.
Provided a roadmap for securing additional resources and aligning regional investments.
For more information, see the Framework Resources in the tabs at the bottom of this page.
Additional Recent Initiatives
MTC and ABAG’s initiatives build on work recent past efforts:
BCDC’s
Bay Adapt
joint platform
MTC and ABAG’s
Plan Bay Area 2050 Implementation Plan
The San Francisco Estuary Partnership’s 2022
Estuary Blueprint
Connected Efforts from Our Partners
BCDC’s Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP)
The RSAP provides coordinated, actionable guidelines to help local governments create their subregional shoreline adaptation plans by 2035.
BCDC’s Shoreline Adaptation Project Mapping Program (SAPMap)
The SAPMap is a dataset of sea level rise adaptation projects across the Bay Area, hosted on EcoAtlas, and is a vital tool for tracking and coordinating shoreline resilience efforts. It provides much of the underlying data for the Investment Strategy and Resilience Project List.
The San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP)
SFEP helps restore wetlands and shorelines to reduce flood risk, and support climate adaptation across the Bay Area. SFEP also fosters collaboration, distributes funding and supports monitoring to scale these efforts.
Staff Contact
Kate Lyons, Resilience and Environmental Planner
Email:
klyons@bayareametro.gov
Sea Level Rise Framework (2023) Documents
This data-driven research project identified near-term sea level rise adaptation needs and studied possible funding solutions.
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework Final Report
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework Technical Methodology Report
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework: Existing Revenues Spreadsheet
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework: Estimating Activity Archetype Costs Spreadsheet
Sea Level Rise Framework: Meetings & Other Resources
Framework Approval:
Committee Memorandum (April 2023)
Presentation (April 2023)
As part of Plan Bay Area 2050+, the framework’s project inventory was updated through engagement with local staff in spring 2024:
Watch the webinar recording
Download the webinar transcript
Related Documents
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework Final Report
5.57 MB
pdf
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework Technical Methodology Report
8.44 MB
pdf
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework: Existing Revenues Spreadsheet
53.06 KB
xlsx
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework: Estimating Activity Archetype Costs Spreadsheet
56.92 KB
xlsx
Digital Library
Skip to main content
Friday, April 17, 2026
Update
Sea Level Rise Regional Planning Initiatives
MTC, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and regional partners are working together to respond to near-term sea level rise adaptation.
Credit
Noah Berger
Sea level rise is a challenge that requires regional collaboration – from MTC, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and regional partners – to build a resilient Bay Area. These groups are working together to identify projects and funding that can help communities adapt to the near-term effects of sea level rise.
Working Together: Plan Bay Area 2050+ & the Resilience Project List
Plan Bay Area 2050+
is the Bay Area’s long-range plan for transportation, housing, the environment and the economy. Plan Bay Area 2050+
estimates a $96 billion cost
to adapt hundreds of miles of Bay Area shoreline to protect against the harms of sea level rise.
Building on Past Efforts
Plan Bay Area 2050+ refined the work from the
2023 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework
by:
Conducting outreach and updating the Framework estimation to identify a $96 billion need for sea level rise adaptation projects.
Developing a
Resilience Project List
which prioritizes sea level rise investments based on urgency (when see level rise impacts are expected, also known as inundation timing) and project readiness.
Plan Bay Area 2050+ Resilience Project List Report
Learn more about the Resilience Project List – what it is, why it exists and what projects are included.
View the report.
Plan Bay Area 2050+ Resilience Project List Map
See what is planned for sea level rise adaptation and where additional planning may be needed.
View the web map.
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding & Investment Strategy (Investment Strategy)
The Investment Strategy is a regional initiative led by the
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
with support from MTC and ABAG.
The project builds on previous planning efforts, including the S
ea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework (2021-2023)
and
Plan Bay Area 2050+.
The Problem
Since only $6.5 billion in funding is anticipated through 2050, a nearly $90 billion funding gap must be addressed through regional coordination.
MTC and Bay Area agencies must work together to understand vulnerabilities, identify key projects and connect those projects to funding. These are critical steps required to safeguard communities, infrastructure and natural systems.
The Solution: Dashboard Coming in Summer 2026
The Investment Strategy Dashboard – to be released in 2026 – will improve and link key datasets so MTC and regional partners can help connect projects to funding and build the foundation for regional collaboration around sea level rise adaptation funding.
The searchable dashboard will help users find adaptation projects and easily sort and filter funding opportunities. The dashboard will also generate summaries that can be used to highlight key insights to support project sponsors, decision makers and funders.
MTC expects to release the first version of the dashboard in summer 2026, with regular data updates to follow.
Recent Sea Level Rise Planning Initiatives
With each of the following planning initiatives, MTC, ABAG and partners are shaping a cohesive regional response to sea level rise.
Interagency Sea Level Rise Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (2024)
In July 2024, Bay Area agencies signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
to coordinate funding and investment efforts for sea level rise adaptation. Signers include MTC, ABAG, BCDC, the Bay Area Regional Collaborative (BARC), California State Coastal Conservancy (SCC), and the San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP). The purpose of the MOU is to:
Align agencies on a shared approach to funding and implementation.
Help streamline planning efforts across agencies.
Establish BCDC as the lead in developing the Investment Strategy, with MTC-ABAG as key partners.
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding & Investment Framework (2023)
The
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework
study, co-led by MTC, ABAG and BCDC, was the first to quantify the Bay Area’s sea level rise adaptation needs. The study provided a foundation for future funding initiatives, such as future Plan Bay Area cycles and the Investment Strategy. The final report:
Identified a $110 billion need for sea level rise adaptation projects.
Forecasted only $5 billion in anticipated funding through 2050.
Provided a roadmap for securing additional resources and aligning regional investments.
For more information, see the Framework Resources in the tabs at the bottom of this page.
Additional Recent Initiatives
MTC and ABAG’s initiatives build on work recent past efforts:
BCDC’s
Bay Adapt
joint platform
MTC and ABAG’s
Plan Bay Area 2050 Implementation Plan
The San Francisco Estuary Partnership’s 2022
Estuary Blueprint
Connected Efforts from Our Partners
BCDC’s Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP)
The RSAP provides coordinated, actionable guidelines to help local governments create their subregional shoreline adaptation plans by 2035.
BCDC’s Shoreline Adaptation Project Mapping Program (SAPMap)
The SAPMap is a dataset of sea level rise adaptation projects across the Bay Area, hosted on EcoAtlas, and is a vital tool for tracking and coordinating shoreline resilience efforts. It provides much of the underlying data for the Investment Strategy and Resilience Project List.
The San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP)
SFEP helps restore wetlands and shorelines to reduce flood risk, and support climate adaptation across the Bay Area. SFEP also fosters collaboration, distributes funding and supports monitoring to scale these efforts.
Staff Contact
Kate Lyons, Resilience and Environmental Planner
Email:
klyons@bayareametro.gov
Sea Level Rise Framework (2023) Documents
This data-driven research project identified near-term sea level rise adaptation needs and studied possible funding solutions.
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework Final Report
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework Technical Methodology Report
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework: Existing Revenues Spreadsheet
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework: Estimating Activity Archetype Costs Spreadsheet
Sea Level Rise Framework: Meetings & Other Resources
Framework Approval:
Committee Memorandum (April 2023)
Presentation (April 2023)
As part of Plan Bay Area 2050+, the framework’s project inventory was updated through engagement with local staff in spring 2024:
Watch the webinar recording
Download the webinar transcript
Related Documents
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework Final Report
5.57 MB
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework Technical Methodology Report
8.44 MB
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework: Existing Revenues Spreadsheet
53.06 KB
xlsx
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Funding and Investment Framework: Estimating Activity Archetype Costs Spreadsheet
56.92 KB
xlsx
Digital Library