Adaptation measures
Everything up to this point measures the problem. This chapter is about doing something to it.
In one sentence
Adaptation measures are interventions designed to reduce the exposure, vulnerability and impacts of transport systems to climate-related hazards, thereby improving system resilience under current and future climate conditions.
The three categories
Within the DARe framework, adaptation measures are broadly classified into three categories.
| Category | What it uses | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Green infrastructure | Vegetation, soils and natural processes | Rain gardens, green roofs, street trees |
| Grey infrastructure | Engineered physical works | Drainage upgrades, flood barriers |
| Soft measures | Non-structural change | Early warning, demand management, speed restrictions |
Where each one intervenes
This is the most useful thing to understand about the chapter, and the source states it across three separate paragraphs rather than side by side.
The three categories are not just different kinds of intervention. They enter the model at three different points in the chain.
| Category | Enters at | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Green | The flood model | Changes the hazard itself |
| Grey | The coupling between flood model and transport model | Changes which links the hazard disrupts |
| Soft | The transport model | Changes who is travelling through it |
Why this framing matters
It tells you where to look when a measure does not behave as expected, and it explains why the three have completely different input requirements.
A green measure has to be described in hydrological terms because it is evaluated by a hydrological model. A soft measure has to be described in demand terms because it is evaluated by a transport model. They are not interchangeable specifications of the same thing.
Grey is the exception
Grey infrastructure is the one category that can act in either of two places, depending on its mechanism:
| Grey measure type | Represented by |
|---|---|
| Measures that alter the hazard itself | Modifying the hazard-model inputs, as green measures do |
| Measures that protect assets without changing the hazard | Changing the threshold at which a network link becomes disrupted |
That second route connects directly to transport thresholds. A raised road or a sealed culvert does not stop the rain; it raises the depth at which that link stops working.
How effectiveness is assessed
The effectiveness of these measures is assessed by comparing baseline and adaptation scenarios across three things:
- Hazard exposure
- Transport disruption
- Associated impacts
The same do-nothing baseline principle
This is the comparison introduced in the framework overview: run the whole framework twice, once without the measure and once with it.
The outputs support assessment of adaptation effectiveness and subsequent cost-benefit analysis, which is the point at which a modelling result becomes an investment decision.
What this chapter covers
| Page | What you will find |
|---|---|
| Green infrastructure | Nature-based measures for flood and heat, and how they change the hazard |
| Grey infrastructure | Engineered works, and the two ways they are modelled |
| Soft measures | Demand management, warnings, protocols and the technologies enabling them |
| Further reading | External documentation, awaiting supply |