Area Adaptation Plans
Area Adaption Plans (AAP) are a new class of Special Area Plan to address the specific challenges of adapting city land use practices, infrastructure, and building guidelines to the changing conditions of the global climate. These changes include climate change induced flooding, sea level rise, rising groundwater, and increased heat. AAPs will provide location-based guidance for multiple hazards on a near-term timeline, while advancing the conversation and necessary research for long-term adaptation. The AAPs will be closely coordinated with City climate policies including those of the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resilience, and the One Water Panel of agencies’ planning for resilient infrastructure. The AAPs may be updated over time.
Adapt Waikīkī 2050 is a pilot initiative of the DPP and the City’s One Water Panel that pioneers a new generation of area-specific adaptation plans that provide recommendations for City infrastructure and consider existing land uses and redevelopment. Designed to serve as a model for future sub-regional resilience efforts across the City and County of Honolulu, the project establishes a framework for building long-term collaboration.
Phase 1 of the Adapt Waikīkī 2050 Plan is available here. Additional planning and implementation work will continue through Phases 2 and 3, which will fulfill some of the key short-term recommendations from the AW2050 Plan.
AW2050 Phase 2: Kicking off in the third quarter of 2026, AW2050 Phase 2 will consist of two main components: 1) a comparative study on approaches for determining sea level rise adjusted design flood elevations (DFEs) for structures and roads, and associated considerations, and 2) a companion to the Waikīkī Special District Design Guidelines outlining voluntary actions for greater resilience in project designs.