When climate disasters strike, how can cities evacuate people who don’t have cars?
Some disasters can be so dangerous that they leave cities with just one option: Get people out of harm’s way, and fast. Climate change may result in cities confronting these challenges more often, as it can increase the frequency and severity of some weather events, from wildfires to hurricanes.
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Smart Cities Dive caught up with Renne to hear his thoughts on how cities can better serve vulnerable populations during evacuations, which local governments are leading the way and how public art can play a life-saving role during disasters.
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SMART CITIES DIVE: What should cities consider when developing a transportation system that is adequately prepared to move people during a climate disaster?
JOHN RENNE: The problem we often have is that the different disciplines that work on disaster planning, like emergency managers, don’t always communicate as effectively with people that run our transportation systems. A lot of times they’ll work with the department of transportation, [which] focuses on roads and highways and bridges, because those are often pretty vulnerable. But in many cities, folks that run transit agencies or other mobility services are not always considered, and the people that work in those agencies don’t always think about disasters as something that they ought to be focusing on because they’re focused on the day-to-day needs.
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