Coastal Communities
Building climate resilience at the interface of towns and ecosystems on our shared coastlines.
Communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems in Bristol County are among the most vulnerable in Rhode Island, imminently threatened by the impacts of sea level rise and flooding from coastal storms.
As part of the Climate Response Demonstration Site Program, resources from the University of Rhode Island Coastal Institute (CI) help these communities develop strategies and models to improve climate resilience. On-site adaptation practices demonstrate feasible solutions for other communities in Rhode Island and beyond.
Primary Location: Bristol County, RI CI Partners: Towns of Barrington, Warren, and Bristol
Vulnerable Coasts
Coastlines on the eastern seaboard are impacted by sea level rise and increasing frequency and severity of storms. Coastal communities are already facing impacts of climate change. With over 400 miles of low-elevation coastline, impacts to Rhode Island communities are expected to be significant.
Image: Satellite image of Hurricane Sandy (2012). NASA.
Bristol County, Rhode Island is located in the northeast reach of Narragansett Bay. It is Rhode Island's smallest county, and one of the most vulnerable to sea level rise in the Ocean State due to its low elevation. The county is comprised of the three towns Barrington, Warren, and Bristol.
Coastal communities in Bristol County, steeped in a rich maritime legacy and industry, are considered “mixed-use." A mixed-use community is characterized by residential development, commercial businesses, natural recreation areas, and cultural and socioeconomic diversity.
Image: The Tourister Mill stands at the waterfront in Warren. Coastal Institute.
Mixed-use coastal areas are common across southern New England, supporting burgeoning local economies, rife with tourism and highly-trafficked recreation areas. Managing the needs of residents, visitors, economy, and ecosystems is a challenge, particularly in the face of climate change.
Image: Local waterfront businesses in the town of Bristol. Coastal Institute.
Bristol County is among the most susceptible to the impacts of flooding and storm surge in Rhode Island. A mere two-foot rise in sea level (based on 30-year projections) will lead to widespread inundation of coastal areas during regular nuisance storms, threatening homes and livelihoods.
Image: A high tide line is visible within a few feet of a waterfront business in Bristol County. Coastal Institute.
Building Resilience
The Coastal Institute (CI) has worked with partners across Bristol County since 2016, including town officials, community members, university researchers, and students, to implement communication and management strategies to enhance resilience of town infrastructure and natural spaces.
GIS Coastal Flood Risk Analysis
Most of Rhode Island is flat and flood-prone, making many communities already vulnerable to king tides, and coastal storm events, like hurricanes, which are anticipated to become more intense as a result of climate change. A predicted two foot rise in sea level by 2050 will increase risk and damage for communities which are already flood-prone. Building resilience through sustainable and forward-thinking projects is a shared goal for many Rhode Islanders.
Image: Observed (orange line) and future projected sea level rise for Newport, RI. Possible future scenarios are shown by the colored lines, ranging from "business as usual" (red, pink) to aggressive curbing of greenhouse gas emissions (green). NOAA (2017).
The CI designated Bristol County as a Climate Response Demonstration Site in part from the launch of a statewide inundation modeling tool, STORMTOOLS , which revealed the extent to which Rhode Island communities are at risk. The CI furthered analysis into flood risks to transportation infrastructure and buildings in Bristol County with the goal of assisting town officials in near- and long-term planning decisions.
Use this interactive swipe tool to explore STORMTOOLS data demonstrating Rhode Island shoreline inundation with two feet of sea level rise and a 100-year storm event (right panel), compared to existing shoreline (left panel).
Voluntary Buyout Programs
Buyout programs provide financial assistance to strategically relocate residential or business properties in highly flood-prone areas.
Abandoned flood areas then can be reclaimed as natural or recreational space, for example, a wetland ecosystem or a public park.
Image: Sea level rise and increased storm surge pose high risks to waterfront businesses and infrastructure. Coastal Institute.
This combined strategy of relocating and restoring natural barriers effectively protects properties and allows for the return of natural buffers, which in turn provide coastal resilience to the force of wave energy and storm surge.
The CI convened several workshops, information sessions and a summary report on buyout programs in Rhode Island. More information can be found here .
Image: Waterfront homes are at high risk of flooding. Coastal Institute.
Market to Metacom Project
The town of Warren has created a progressive plan to relocate vulnerable waterfront residences and businesses in its Market Street area to a higher elevation, the Metacom Avenue corridor. Development of the strategy was catalyzed in partnership with the CI and funded with the EPA Southeast New England Program (SNEP).
Image: Flooding at Jamiel Park in Warren. Coastal Institute.
One of the project goals uses planned relocation as an opportunity to implement green infrastructure, improve neighborhoods, and shift private investment from flood-prone areas.
The town of Warren is undertaking a feasibility study and encourage public engagement throughout the process. To learn more, please visit the project website, Market to Metacom.
Image: GIS analysis of flood risk to downtown Warren, completed by Coastal Institute graduate student, Patrick MacMeekin. Coastal Institute.
Transportation Corridor Risk Assessment
Road infrastructure is at high risk for inundation during storms, which dangerously degrade pavement and necessitate costly maintenance. The CI has worked with Bristol County to find ways to improve transportation resilience for vulnerable roadways. Strategies include raising road elevation and end-of-road retrofits, through which abandoned road ends are converted to buffers and natural space.
Image: Flooding on Market Street, Warren. Coastal Institute.
Research and opportunities for infrastructure strategies are investigated via the State of Rhode Island's Transportation Improvement Program ( STIP ). The CI also supports Bristol County and its townships with letters of support to aid in grant applications.
Image: Construction of new marsh habitat and elevated parking area during Walker Farm restoration project in Barrington. Coastal Institute.
For example, the town of Barrington recently applied to Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank to fund two critical coastal resilience projects: one to reduce erosion and restore coastal habitat at sites in the Bay Spring neighborhood of Barrington (Walker Farm project); and the other to control erosion and reduce stormwater discharge into Narragansett Bay near Barrington Beach.
Image: Newly created marsh habitat to mitigate flooding and improve public access at Walker Farm. Coastal Institute.
Community Action
The CI provides assistance for community engagement activities which serve to help residents and stakeholders understand what actions are being taken and why, and to leverage meetings and interest in order to gather necessary public funds and support for state-level policies that support local resilience efforts.
Public Engagement
As a Climate Response Demonstration Site, Bristol County has included its community members, visitors, and stakeholders in conversation throughout the process of identifying vulnerable areas and developing solutions. Meetings, informational hearings, and town halls have been essential to the development of many demonstration site activities and fostering action for community preparedness.
Image: Teresa Crean, formerly of the URI Coastal Resources Center, leads a tour of at-risk sites in the town of Bristol. Crean now serves as Director of Planning, Building and Resilience for the Town of Barrington (as of 2024). Coastal Institute.
In addition to formal meetings, the CI has organized and participated in public events such as walking tours, workshops, and gallery nights to showcase the work that is being done in Bristol County's Climate Response Demonstration Site projects. Examples of past activities include:
- Property buyout workshops & information sessions
- Annual "State of the Town" presentations
- StormTools exhibition at the Imago Gallery , Warren for exhibition: Rising Seas
- Barrington Hazard Mitigation & Flood Management Plan (HM&FMP) Steering Committee
- Public workshop and walking tour to share Bristol Hazard Mitigation Plan
- Partnered with Leonard Yui, Assistant Professor of Architecture at Roger Williams University, around his Five Ecological Piers art installation, demonstrating sea level rise at Touisset Marsh , Warren
Image: Jaclyn Witterschein, Janet Freedman, and Nathan Vinhateiro, all of the Coastal Institute, demonstrate StormTools at the Imago Gallery, Warren, RI, as part of the 2022 exhibition, Rising Seas: Envisioning the Future Ocean State. Coastal Institute.
Coastal Access Initiative
On June 26th, 2023, Rhode Island's new shoreline access bill was signed into law. This new legislation codifies the right of Rhode Islanders and visitors to access the ocean state's abundant coastal areas in perpetuity.
The new law clarifies that the public has the right to access along the shore up to ten feet landward of the most recent visible high tide line. This line is both easily visible by people (as the seaweed/debris line) and is flexible to accommodate shifting shorelines as sea levels continue to rise.
Image: Public shoreline access point in Bristol County. Coastal Institute.
For the full story on the current coastal access bill, it's history, and the on-going conversation of water access and environmental justice in Rhode Island, please visit the following resources:
Resilient Future
The Coastal Institute's Climate Response Demonstration Sites offer a unique opportunity for graduate students to research and implement real-world climate solutions.
Investing in Future Leaders
MESM students from Indonesia explore a flood visualization mobile app during a visit to Touisset Marsh. Coastal Institute.
Students in Masters of Environmental Science and Management (MESM) programs at the University of Rhode Island and partnered institutions worldwide have visited demonstration sites in Bristol County to learn about sustainable design.
Students work with Bristol County demonstration sites to develop useful tools:
During 2020 and 2021, CI graduate student Patrick MacMeekin developed dozens of maps and GIS layers that were critical to identifying flood-prone areas (infrastructure and roadways) in Bristol County. Patrick also created an instruction manual for the GIS analysis, ensuring the process could be transferrable to other communities in the state.
In 2023, URI MESM graduate student Sarah Schechter used ArcGIS to develop data layers and maps related to coastal access and coastal use, and to create a comprehensive geospatial inventory of coastal access areas in Bristol County. She used output from coastal models and other datasets to identify locations where public access is or may be impinged by sea level rise and erosion. This work was completed as part of the Sustained and Equitable Access to Rhode Island’s Coast in a Changing Climate (SEA-C) project, headed by the Coastal Institute and funded by Rhode Island Sea Grant
Future graduate student opportunities may be possible through new fellowship programs that are focused on sea level rise and community resiliency in Rhode Island. These include RI Sea Grant’s Senior Integrated Coastal Resilience Capstone and the Envision Resilience Challenge , a privately funded opportunity that connects academic research, local leadership, and community members to tackle sea level rise challenges and innovate solutions.
East Bay Coastal Access Points
