Coastal resilience and risk management
Effective planning for resilient communities and assets along the coastline is more important than ever. Our coastal cities and fringes and are under the increasing pressures of a growing density of people and the built environment, as well as sea level rise and increased storm activity as a result of climate change impacts.
Coastal infrastructure needs to be resilient to powerful natural forces, while also minimising environmental damage locally and broadly through a low-carbon footprint. Arup’s strength lies in our ability to bring together the complex multidisciplinary disciplines needed to assess, plan for and design resilient and adaptive coastal protection solutions.
We help ports, government authorities, environmental agencies, investors, development banks and coastal asset owners assess their climate risk and develop strategies to build resilience for infrastructure and operations, in an economically and socially transformative way.
Our coastal engineering expertise combined with close working relationships with industry hydrodynamic modelling laboratories ensures best practice in assessing hazards and designing coastal protection measures. We have established frameworks and models for undertaking coastal risk assessments based on data-driven coastal hazards mapping and economic assessment tools to inform investment decisions.
We draw on a range of technical specialists such as marine ecologists to help our clients integrate nature-based solutions into protecting coastal assets and communities. We embed social value into coastal interventions through our urban and landscape design, and community engagement specialists.
At an average of just 2m above sea level, the capital of Tonga, Nuk'alofa, is the ranked third of 181 countries on the 2021 World Risk Index.
Arup was appointed to lead a mult-hazard climate and disaster risk assessment of Topagatapu, the islan on which Nuk'alofa sits. The project analysed over 50,000 buildings, power and water assets, more than 1,000km of roads and over 200km2 of agricultural and environmental areas on Tongatapu to identify risks and inform sustainable future development and investment decisions.
Our work is now being used to inform climate adaptation planning and infrastructure investment in future projects in Tonga. The information will help steer investments away from the highest-risk areas while ensuring that investments are designed and operated to withstand multiple hazards.
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Explore
Learn more about how our services can support your project:
Projects
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Shaping the future of the Western Trade Coast’s infrastructure
Western Trade Coast Infrastructure Strategy, Australia
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Eden Dock Activation project, UK
Preserving Brunel’s iconic railway for future generations
Parson's Tunnel Rockfall Shelter, UK
Blending advanced engineering with traditional Japanese architecture to improve connectivity with Oita Airport
Oita hovercraft terminals, Japan
Maritime
Arup is helping clients to shape the future of ports, maritime transport and sustainable coastal communities. Together, we plan and develop the business case for growth and investment, as well as leading the transformation of ports as critical supply chain hubs to support the clean energy future.