Growing Green Cities

Located at the heart of a larger metropolitan area known as Hampton Roads, the coastal city of Norfolk has long been defined by its connection to water.  

Norfolk’s settler history began in the 17th century, and its position at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay enabled the city to evolve as a crossroads for transportation, trade, and military operations; the first battle between ironclad ships occurred in the waters of Hampton Roads during the American Civil War (1861-1865). 

Today, Hampton Roads is home to 1.73 million people and 15 military bases representing every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Notably, Norfolk hosts the world’s largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk, and Maersk Line, Limited, the world’s largest fleet of US-flag vessels.

As a result of these economic opportunities, Norfolk has become a cultural hub for Hampton Roads. The Waterside District offers dining and entertainment options, many significant works of art can be viewed at the Chrysler Museum of Art, and the world’s largest battleship, USS Wisconsin, can be visited at the National Maritime Center.  

While Norfolk has benefited from a steady rise in economic and cultural activity throughout its history because of its coastal location, there has also been an additional, conflicting facet: sea level rise.

Situated on low-lying land and surrounded by water, Norfolk’s sea level is rising at a rate higher than anywhere else on the East Coast. Combined with routine tidal variations that are synonymous with coastal locations, Norfolk faces frequent tidal flooding.  

Each year, NOAA releases the  Annual High Tide Flooding Outlook,  and Norfolk is projected to experience 15-19 days of high tide flooding in 2023. Beyond this startling, real-time projection, the decadal view indicates a future that requires significant planning.  

The repercussions of frequent and increasing tidal flooding are vast. For many, it starts with road closures that prevent efficiency in completing daily tasks—this may mean getting to work on time or something more dire, such as receiving medical care. For homeowners, it can mean a lack of security and financial vulnerability.

Whatever the impact, the city and community of Norfolk know that identifying these problems and developing solutions is necessary to maintain their viability, and much of this work is being done through the use of GIS. 

While much information on sea level rise in Virginia was available online, the varied resources did not provide the public with a comprehensive look at the issue nor a clear strategy for the future.  

In 2018, Virginia expressed interest in having inundation modeling for the entire state to inform the creation of a  coastal resilience master plan .

Working with many partners, including Dr. George McLeod, the Director of the Center for Geospatial Science, Education, and Analytics at Old Dominion University, NOAA, and Esri, Virginia commissioned the development of the state's first scenario-specific  data set  to inform much of its decision-making.  

As seen in Esri’s 360 VR Experience below, created in collaboration with  Nearmap , city planners can now identify potential future vulnerabilities and plan for areas most at risk by applying this inundation data to a map of Norfolk.  

Further benefiting from the work completed to meet Virginia’s goal, the partners then contributed their expertise to assist the White House in building  Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) .

CMRA is a public tool that enables users to check climate conditions in their area and learn if their community, property, or local infrastructure is susceptible to climate-related hazards. Along with this tool, Esri worked with CMRA to develop  GIS for Climate Resilience , a tutorial series to assist the public in using mapping technologies.

The path to coastal resilience in Virginia is a science-based approach that includes short- and long-term strategies to protect its community, the city’s infrastructure, and the economy.  

Explore more coastal flooding stories, maps, and data to build resiliency in your own city or community.

A geographic approach puts our greatest challenges in context and drives solutions for a sustainable future. And user-friendly GIS tools provide universal access to critical information.

The Growing Green Cities collection shares the sustainability stories of four cities: Kitakyushu, Japan; London, England; Norfolk, United States of America; and Sydney, Australia. Read about their climate challenges and the GIS solutions that support local leaders, planners, and scientists as they build more resilient communities.

Explore the map below to access the four stories. Each map pin with pop up includes a story link.