Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessments

The New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL) now requires municipalities to include a Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (CCRHVA) in the Land Use Element of their Master Plan. A CCRHVA must identify and analyze local climate hazards, vulnerable assets, infrastructure, and populations, impacts to Master Plan elements and other local plans, and potential strategies to reduce risk. A CCRHVA helps a municipality identify land use planning and zoning changes needed to increase resilience to climate change impacts.

The New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center is collaborating with several NJ municipalities to develop CCRHVAs using the best available science and data. Rutgers’ interdisciplinary team, including researchers, data developers, communicators, and graduate students, is collecting and utilizing locally tailored data to identify climate hazards and assess vulnerabilities for each municipality in alignment with the MLUL requirements to allow adoption into the municipal Master Plan.

This project is supported by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient NJ Municipal Assistance Program. In addition to aiding municipalities through free technical assistance, the project will help establish statewide CCRHVA guidance through case study examples and documenting the CCRHVA development process, challenges, and effective practices.