Myriad adaptation strategies exist for flooding, from landform manipulation to realignment of buildings and roads. Long before our era, some of the first human cities were the last to experience rapid sea level rise. These cities offer lessons in adaptation, as do indigenous American cities. The language and spatial forms we develop can be hybridized to re-conceive our response to the challenges we face, and offer a new map that is not flattened by fear to include only retreat or defense. This talk breaks from that approach by presenting international history and strategies for adaptation that take into account the newest scientific findings about rising coastal groundwater.