The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene an ad hoc committee to conduct a study on the movement and relocation of people, infrastructure, and communities away from environmentally high-risk areas, sometimes referred to as managed retreat, in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. In particular, the study will focus on understanding and responding to the unique challenges in the face of a changing climate along the Gulf Coast (e.g., coastal flooding due to sea level rise, subsidence, land loss). The study will make findings and recommendations based on information gathered about the challenges, needs, and opportunities associated with managed retreat in the Gulf Coast region.

As a way to gather information for the report, three public workshops will be held in the Gulf Coast region. The public workshops will focus on policy/practice considerations, research/data needs, and community engagement strategies. Elevating community voices will be a centerpiece of the workshops. Topics to be addressed across the workshops may include:

• Identifying considerations and best practices for engaging with communities about managed retreat, including effective communication and engagement methods, equity, co-production of knowledge, development of strategies, and involvement in planning and decision-making.
• Understanding managed retreat efforts taking place within the Gulf Coast region, including promising practices to preserve social cohesion and protect traditional and cultural practices as part of managed retreat planning, and what community stakeholders in the Gulf Coast region can learn from them.
• Identifying policy and practical barriers to managed retreat, including issues relating to equity (e.g., who is able to claim access to various public benefits and services, how displaced peoples are received by and integrated into another community).
• Highlighting key information and data needs and necessary timeframe(s) to plan effectively.
• Identifying research and information gaps, particularly in the social and behavioral sciences, which inhibit effective and equitable planning, communication, and implementation of managed retreat programs.

A publication will be produced by a rapporteur and in accordance with institutional guidelines following each workshop.

Following the completion of the workshop series, the committee will produce a report that:

• Synthesizes common themes identified through the public workshop series (e.g., policy and practical challenges, information needs, best practices).
• Incorporates evidence from the literature in areas such as public participation, communication, governance, and decision-making.
• Identifies short- and long-term steps necessary for community stakeholders to plan and implement the movement of people away from high-hazard areas in ways that are equitable, culturally-appropriate, adaptive, and resilient to future regional climate conditions.