Coastal resilience

By Brett Vivyan

22 June 2026

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Transcript

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Nexus, Publish By GHD.

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Where ideas connect.

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welcome to the Nexus podcast,

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where we explore

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the big questions

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shaping the future

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of infrastructure, energy,

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water and communities.

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I'm Ben Hall, global

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thought leadership manager at GHD.

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Today

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we're talking about coastal resilience.

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Across the world,

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coastlines around a growing pressure,

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rising seas, stronger storms

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and aging infrastructure

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are forcing communities to confront

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some uncomfortable questions

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about what they protect,

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how they adapt, and where they invest.

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Today's conversation

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builds on a recently published

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Nexus Weekly column,

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and it asks a deceptively simple question

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how can coastal communities

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bounce back from rising tides?

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My guest is Brett Vivian,

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a senior engineer in maritime

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and coastal systems

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who works with communities

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across the US on strategies

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that combine engineering,

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nature and long term planning.

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Brett, welcome to the Nexus podcast.

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Thanks for having me done.

Why this conversation matters

“We’re seeing coastal processes cross thresholds that are starting to affect homes, businesses and critical infrastructure.” – Brett Vivyan

Coastal communities are facing growing pressure from rising seas, stronger storms and infrastructure never designed for the conditions now emerging.

The challenge is no longer whether communities should adapt, but how they make smarter decisions about what to protect, where to invest and how to build resilience before disaster strikes.

In this episode, Brett Vivyan joins Ben Hall, Global Thought Leadership Manager at GHD, to explores why waiting for catastrophic events is no longer defensible, how nature-based and hybrid solutions are reshaping coastal protection and why multi-benefit infrastructure is becoming essential to unlock funding and community support.

Key takeaways:

Coastal risks are multiplying, with flooding, erosion and infrastructure failures becoming more frequent
Waiting for disasters to act is becoming harder to justify economically and socially
Multi-benefit projects combining resilience, habitat restoration and community value are easier to fund and support
Nature-based and hybrid solutions are shifting coastal protection from “holding the line” to working with dynamic landscapes

Explore the related Nexus weekly column: How can coastal communities bounce back from rising tides?

Explore Nexus Magazine

Coastal resilience: How communities can adapt to rising tides and stronger storms

Why this conversation matters

Key takeaways:

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