Managing retreat? An empirical reflection on adopting relocation initiatives as adaptation policy in Louisiana

Coastal Louisiana is experiencing climate-related impacts at rates substantially higher than other areas worldwide. Unique coastal communities face imminent impacts requiring adaptation and possible relocation. As such, Louisiana's strategies for ecosystem-scale flood management and ecological restoration are relevant globally. In this paper, we trace the idea of managed retreat as a nonstructural adaptation mechanism through the analysis of Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan and LA SAFE documents, and interviews with residents and planning professionals. Although Louisiana's plans and policies increasingly recognise increasing risk, and relocation as a necessary adaptation strategy, planning goals for relocation have weakened over time. Our analysis found two reasons for this. First, professionals and residents view risk and relocation differently. Low- and moderate-income residents had varied claims and constraints that influenced the adoption of relocation programmes and highlighted the need for community-driven initiatives. Second, no social infrastructure was implemented with the technical capacity or financial resources to work with communities to develop and implement relocation initiatives. As climate impacts increase, policies facilitating managed retreat will also need to expand. This work provides insights into the evolution of large-scale relocation planning, and a better understanding of the challenges facing states and communities as these efforts are expanded.