Flooding, erosion, and fire from the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events have increased in frequency and intensity along the makai areas of the Olowalu and Ukumehame ahupuaʻa in West Maui, Hawaiʻi. Complementing ongoing Honoapiʻilani Highway realignment planning led by the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, The Nature Conservancy and UHCDC are working with public and private partners on engaging the community and stakeholders in the development of a proof-of-concept design for the coastal area stretching ca. 6 miles from Ukumehame to Launiupoko.

The planned highway realignment provides a unique opportunity to restore the area’s coastal zone by incorporating park spaces, traditional biocultural practices, and nature-based solutions, such as living shoreline systems, via a participatory planning and co-design process that re-envisions the old right-of-way. By strengthening coastal ecosystems, this project intends to increase the ecological, social, cultural, recreational, and economic benefits they provide and reduce pressures on the Olowalu-Ukumehame reef system. The work aims to improve coastal and community resilience to help mitigate and adapt to the growing impacts of climate change, including sea level rise. Based on community input and feedback, UHCDC will create a vision for what the coastal space might look like and how it would perform once the highway is moved inland.

Client: The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
Principal Investigator: Judith Stilgenbauer FASLA
Project Staff: Emily Sobolewski Knight ASLA, Research Associate; Sierra Spears, Research Associate
Student Project Assistants: Zoe Angelopulo, Kenneth Morrow, Sarah Obra-Nakata