Building a Climate-Resilient City: Transportation infrastructure

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development outlines strategies for building climate-resilient urban transportation infrastructure, with a particular focus on Alberta's cities. It emphasizes the need for robustness, redundancy, and resourcefulness to mitigate the risks posed by rising temperatures and extreme weather events.

• Urban transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, railways, and runways, is highly vulnerable to climate change. In Alberta, mean annual temperatures are projected to rise by 2.0°C by the 2030s and 4.0°C by the 2060s if current global greenhouse gas emission rates continue. These changes, along with increased climate variability, can lead to softened asphalt, ruts, potholes, and stress on bridge and railway joints, while extreme precipitation can cause flooding that erodes soils, weakens asphalt, and may wash out bridges or shut down airports.
• Building robustness in transportation systems involves using assessment tools and climate modelling to identify vulnerabilities. The Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) Engineering Protocol is highlighted as a tool for this purpose; the City of Edmonton used it in 2007 to assess roads, associated structures, and the Quesnell Bridge. Additionally, 'building back better' principles suggest rebuilding damaged infrastructure to a standard above pre-disaster levels to be more cost-effective in the long term.
• Urban design and green infrastructure can reduce climate exposure and enhance resilience. Promoting compact urban forms and walkable, mixed-use neighbourhoods reduces the total amount of infrastructure exposed to extremes and limits the distance residents must travel for essential services. Green infrastructure, such as large trees for shading and permeable surfaces or constructed wetlands for natural drainage, helps reduce pavement temperatures and the risk of flooding from stormwater runoff.
• Redundancy is achieved by diversifying transportation modes and fuel sources. This includes creating seamless connections between bike routes, walking paths, and bus routes, and adopting 'complete street' concepts, as seen in the guidelines used by Calgary and Edmonton. Diversifying energy sources to include electric vehicles and installing the necessary charging infrastructure reduces reliance on a single, vulnerable gasoline-based system.
• Resourcefulness can be fostered by engaging citizens through technology and shared mobility programs. Mobile apps and GPS technology allow planners to use lived experience to optimize cycling and walking routes and identify infrastructure needs like potholes. Shared mobility models mentioned include the 'Peer-to-Peer' Peg City Car Co-op in Winnipeg, car2go in Calgary and Vancouver, Pogo in Edmonton, and Bixi bikes in Montreal and Toronto.
• The document recommends several strategic and economic actions for Calgary and Edmonton, including conducting full vulnerability and risk assessments of transportation infrastructure and establishing public-private partnerships for electric-vehicle charging. Economic instruments suggested include green bonds—citing the City of Toronto's financing of the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit—as well as taxes, levies, and tolls.

APA

Temmer, J., & Venema, H. (2017). Building a Climate-Resilient City: Transportation infrastructure. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pcc-brief-climate-resilient-city-transportation-infrastructure.pdf

Chicago

Temmer, Jennifer, and Hank Venema. Building a Climate-Resilient City: Transportation infrastructure. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pcc-brief-climate-resilient-city-transportation-infrastructure.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Temmer |first1=Jennifer |last2=Venema |first2=Hank |title=Building a Climate-Resilient City: Transportation infrastructure |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pcc-brief-climate-resilient-city-transportation-infrastructure.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{temmer2017building, author = {Temmer, Jennifer and Venema, Hank}, title = {{Building a Climate-Resilient City: Transportation infrastructure}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pcc-brief-climate-resilient-city-transportation-infrastructure.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }