Urban infrastructure development and social vulnerability to extreme climate events in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Topics: Hazards and Vulnerability
, Urban Geography
, Social Geography
Keywords: Climate resilience, Flooding, Infrastructure, Urban, Vulnerability, Miami, Social-Ecological-Technological Framework
Session Type: Virtual Poster
Day: Wednesday
Session Start / End Time: 4/7/2021 09:35 AM (Pacific Time (US & Canada)) - 4/7/2021 10:50 AM (Pacific Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 51
Authors:
Kyle Pecsok, Clark University
Rinku Roy Chowdhury, Clark University
John Rogan, Clark University
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Abstract
Coastal cities in the Anthropocene are increasingly vulnerable to climate change and extreme climate events, including sea level rise (SLR), increased precipitation and flooding. However, cities and urban neighborhoods also experience important differences in this vulnerability, owing to varying social, environmental and infrastructure conditions. Social vulnerability to environmental hazards is contingent on multiple factors such as wealth, race, age, and more. Environmental conditions such as distance to shoreline, hydrography, land cover, and topography also influence flood risk. Along with increasing attention to cities as linked social-ecological systems, an important body of work in urban resilience is focusing on how infrastructure and the built environment, such as roads and canals, have shaped flood risk and climate resilience in cities.
This project conducted a spatial analysis of the patterns of land cover and road and canal/drainage infrastructure in Miami-Dade County (MDC), Florida, a location highly exposed to SLR and coastal flooding, that is engaged in the process of climate resilience planning. The study analyzed datasets on projected SLR, land cover, road and canal infrastructure, and census-derived socioeconomic characteristics, in order to trace the spatial relationship of land cover and infrastructure to projected flood zones and social vulnerability. As climate resilience becomes an increasing concern in coastal cities, this work highlights important social and infrastructural dimensions of flood vulnerability in South Florida, and therefore, implications for areas in need of climate-resilient infrastructure development.
