Contingency Plan for Brattøra

Measures to prepare Brattøra for floods

Introduction

Managing the impacts of climate change is a growing challenge around the world, and the increased natural hazards that follow poses a serious threat to communities. Floods due to heavy rain is one natural hazard that can cause extensive damage. Floods pose major risks to people, infrastructure, and economies due to the increased frequency and intensity of these events brought on by climate change and other factors. Having a well thought out contingency plan is therefore important in order to respond effectively when a natural hazard occurs.

The purpose of this paper is to create a contingency plan for Brattøra in Trondheim, with a given scenario in which Brattøra is exposed to floods from heavy rainfall. The area has limited substantial financial resources but has a disaster management authority. The report consists of a site analysis, methods applied, and best practice examples which forms the basis of some of our recommendations.

The contingency plan consists of a response strategy, an implementation plan, a preparedness plan, an operational support plan, and a budget. The report concludes in a discussion where future improvements for Brattøra are discussed.

Scenario

The scenario given to us is that Trondheim is a very low-density city and is prone to floods due to heavy rainfall. The municipality has limited financial resources but has a disaster management authority.

Background

We have selected Brattøra because it is a vulnerable site that is worth looking into. The area of Brattøra has been chosen as the investigation site because it is prone to flooding as a result of persistent rainfall. The topography, location, and limited financial resources may all contribute to this risk. Since the municipality has limited financial resources, investigating this location might assist the municipality in identifying the area’s flood risk and potential low cost measures to mitigate the impacts of a flood.

Methodology

In this chapter, various methods used in this study will be presented. The methods have been helpful in understanding the context and to develop a realistic contingency plan.

Site visit

An important step in the initial stage of the process was to conduct a site visit. Through observation of the site the team was able to experience the site and identify different individuals and stakeholders. The visit was important because it gave the team the opportunity to observe how the different stakeholders co-exist, and to experience the site first hand.

Stakeholder mapping

The team conducted a stakeholder analysis that was helpful in identifying which stakeholders that should be involved in the contingency plan. The team also investigated how the stakeholders relate to each other and how they can cooperate in case of a flood at Brattøra.

Contacting stakeholders

The group reached out to stakeholders in the area to gather information about their preparedness in case of a flood. However, the group only received a response from two stakeholders which made it challenging to collect enough useful data. We did not receive any significant information from the stakeholders that responded.

Case studies

Researching similar cases from other parts of the world and Norway has been helpful to the group. The group conducted online searches to find other best practice examples that could be implemented in our own plan, which includes elements from case studies in Norway, Indonesia and Australia.

Site Analysis

The site analysis will aid in developing an understanding of the location. This will allow for the evaluation and analysis of factors necessary to develop the contingency plan.

The artificial island of Brattøra is located in the city of Trondheim in the Trøndelag county. The island is situated at the mouth of the Nidelva River, north of the district Midtbyen, west of Nyhavna, and south of the Trondheimsfjord. Brattøra has no residents, however around 5000 people are employed there (FramtidsTrondheim, (n.d.). The island of Brattøra and the surrounding mainland are separated by a canal. Trondheim Central Station and Trondheim Port occupy the majority of the island, along with commercial buildings. The Skansen Tunnel connects the island to the western part of the city. Brattøra consists of several businesses and institutions. The swimming pool Pirbadet and the Norwegian School of Management are two examples of buildings that are frequently visited. Pirterminalen, the docks for the express boat services to Fosen and Kristiansund, as well as the corporate offices of Fosen Trafikklag, are also located in Brattøra. Brattøra is also visited by the Coastal Express and other cruise ships (Rosvold, 2020).

Historical development

The history of Brattøra is closely linked to the development of the harbor in Trondheim. The river harbor has been crucial for the economic prosperity of Trondheim, exporting fish, timber, and copper in the 17th century. Eventually, breweries were also established on Brattøra, while a landing area was constructed on Ilsvika to receive passenger traffic from ships anchored outside Munkholmen. In the 1880s, the arrival of the railway at Brattøra connected the city to other regions and improved the transportation of goods between the harbor and other areas. This created a need to expand the harbor areas, and through dredging and filling, today’s Brattøra was created as a modern traffic hub, with a canal harbor and railway facilities (Trondheim Havn, n.d.).

Current implementation plans

Currently, there are no implementation plans for Brattøra related to floods due to heavy rainfall. However, Trondheim municipality has guidelines and provisions in their plans regarding climate change adaptation.

The most important plan that decides land use is the municipal master plan (KPA 2012 - 2024). The master plan sets the premises of further planning of detailed zoning plans such as master sub-plans and detailed zoning plans for private landowners and developers (Trondheim kommune, 2014).

To help the municipality approve detailed zoning plans, the climate plan, which is also a kind of a master sub-plan, sets some guidelines . The climate plan highlights the importance of building a more compact city which reduces the need for cars and transportation (Trondheim kommune, 2022). Planning a compact city makes Brattøra ideal because of its short distance to the city center, which makes it a relevant area for the development of both commercial buildings and residential housing.

The municipality by having the power to approve plans can work together with the disaster management authority and city planners to focus on flood resilience in plans. An example is the master sub-plan for Nyhavna, just east of Brattøra. The plan shows how to make continuous waterways that have to be included on the more detailed smaller zoning plans (Trondheim kommune & Trondheim havn, 2022).

In the current master sub-plan for Brattøra from 2001, most of the area is still zoned for harbor and railway activities (Trondheim kommune, 2018). This plan is not customized for an urban area adapting to a warmer, wilder and wetter climate. The only detailed zoning plan in the area with provisions concerning climate is the plan for Powerhouse Brattøra. This plan determines that the Powerhouse building should be constructed to withstand storm surges, wind and heavy rain, and that risk reducing measures should be considered when building (Trondheim kommune, 2014).

Previous floods

Due to several factors, including its special location, climate change, rapid urbanization and limited capacity of the existing urban drainage systems, Trondheim is especially disposed to flooding. Three different flooding scenarios are likely to occur in Trondheim: Flooding from the river Nidelva, flooding from the sea during storm events and flooding in urban drainage systems (FloodProBE, n.d.).

The timeline in figure 9 shows the biggest floods in Trondheim in the past 35 years and what damage they have caused. Due to its exposed position to the fjord, Brattøra is particularly at risk to be flooded from the sea during a storm surge. Gale-force storms in Trondheimsfjorden and spring-tides increase the sea-level up to 50 cm and the water level of the river Nidelva due to backflow (FloodProBE, n.d.). Especially the floods of 2011 and 2020 caused great damage in Brattøra (The Local, 2011; The Local, 2020).

Perceived risks

The perceived risks the group has identified are divided into two categories; risk to individuals, and risk to property and infrastructure.

Several groups at Brattøra may be at risk from flooding. Since there are no residential zones in the area, the groups most at risk would be employees, students, commuters and visitors. These groups may be unaware of the risks they might encounter, which can have several consequences. Employees might not be aware of flood risks in their place of work, which makes them unprepared in case of a flood and could be a risk to their safety because they do not know how to react. Businesses can also get temporarily shut down due to flood damage, which can result in financial loss and job insecurity. Students, hotel guests, pool visitors and commuters can also be vulnerable to floods. They may lack knowledge about the flood risk, flood procedure and evacuation routes in the area. These groups might have trouble getting out of buildings, or they might suffer injuries.

Property and infrastructure is also perceived to be at risk from flooding, since there is a lack of flood mitigating measures in the detailed zoning plan. Damage to infrastructure can result in cancellation of ferry routes, inability to drive on damaged roads and can prevent people from traveling. Damage to property and infrastructure can also result in financial losses and possibly businesses having to close down, which can result in unemployment.

Stakeholder analysis

A stakeholder is defined by Rolstadås (2020) as an individual or an organization which is actively involved in a project or has interests that could be affected by a project.

Identifying the stakeholders early on was an important step in the initial stage of the contingency planning process. The stakeholders had to be identified before the group could settle on the measures. There are several stakeholders at Brattøra, which were divided into property owners and renters. The property owners consist of both public and private stakeholders, and the group mapped the number of properties they own at Brattøra. The property owners were then ranked based on power and interest, as shown in figure 10. The group considers Trondheim Havn IKS and Trondheim municipality to be the most powerful stakeholders, as they own the most properties or are considered to have high influence. The stakeholders that are ranked high are the most relevant to work with regarding a contingency plan.

There are also several renters that have interests in the area. Multiple stakeholders such as private companies, institutions, hotels and eateries are located in the area. The renters were ranked, as shown in figure 11, based on power and interest. The ones with the most power and interest are considered to be Pirbadet swimming pool, Rockheim museum, Trondheim Coastal Express, Norwegian School of Management and the Headquarters of Fosen trafikklag. These stakeholders were ranked high because they most likely have the most visitors and/or employees, therefore the group believe they would be interested in making the area withstand the effects of a flood since it could affect their businesses considerably.