Goals and Outcomes of U.S. Voluntary Buyouts: A Systematic Review

Abstract:

Managed retreat, the removal of people and assets from hazardous places, is an increasingly important option for managing climate change risk, and in the United States, it has largely occurred through voluntary buyouts of flood-prone homes. The governance challenges and lived experiences of managed retreat, however, go beyond flood risk reduction, and affected stakeholders have differing objectives and perceptions of the outcomes. Despite increasing scholarship, evaluation of the goals and outcomes of buyouts remains sparse at crosscutting and programmatic scales. Here, we perform a nation-wide systematic review to determine the range and prevalence of goals and perceived outcomes for voluntary buyouts of flood-prone properties in the United States to date. We assess (1) the documented range of goals for buyouts to date, (2) perceptions of outcomes, including those that go beyond documented goals, (3) which stakeholder groups are included versus omitted in existing documentation across buyout contexts, and (4) whether stakeholder groups seem to share or have different goals for buyouts and perceptions of buyout outcomes. The goal of flood risk reduction dominates in planning stages, although processes of implementation are frequent areas of concern. Once buyouts have occurred, outcomes beyond flood risk reduction, such as social and economic impacts, become salient. Implementing local governments and participating residents are central in existing documentation of goals and outcomes. Mapping of relative power, differential interests, and contrasting experiences across stakeholders supports program design and implementation that are participatory, fair, and resource-effective. Associated lessons are necessary for supporting retreat at greater scale as the climate continues to change.