Learning from the Permafrost & Infrastructure Symposium: A roadmap to resilience - Fairbanks, Alaska (2023)

This conference report from the 2023 Permafrost and Infrastructure Symposium summarizes the knowledge exchanged at this transdisciplinary conference and includes recommendations and practical insights for Northern communities responding to rapid Arctic warming. The conference took place in July/August 2023 in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, and along the Dalton and Elliot Highways from Prudhoe Bay to Fairbanks. It brought over 30 Arctic scientists, engineers, architects, and planners to Northern Alaska to see issues related to permafrost thaw and coastal erosion firsthand and to learn from those who live and work in the Arctic. They were joined in Utqiagvik by leaders from the North Slope Borough, regional housing and utility providers, and the Alaska Native villages of Wainwright and Point Lay for three days of presentations, discussions, and field trips. The goal of the Symposium was to help develop better strategies for improving Arctic infrastructure by pairing scientific and engineering research with local knowledge and priorities. “There is no substitute to being in a place like Point Lay. It is an efficient way to do away with a whole bunch of assumptions. There is never a better way to get more people on the same page faster, so we can move onto the next phase faster,” according to Griffin Hagle-Forster, executive director of the Association of Alaska Housing Authorities who served on the Symposium’s organizing committee. Following the conference in Utqiaġvik, 20 participants continued to Deadhorse, Alaska, to learn about strategies for building roads on permafrost from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and to view the results of tundra restoration efforts in Prudhoe Bay and along the Dalton Highway to Fairbanks. This report released summarizes the research and insights shared at the Symposium from over 30 presentations and breakout discussions. Recommendations include practical insights and opportunities for Arctic planners and policymakers and for scientists, engineers, and designers working with Northern communities. A companion proceedings portal at the Arctic Data Center provides an online archive of presentation slides and recordings, other meeting materials, and links to recommended readings.