H143-0004
Institutional adaptive capacity to floods: Bridging the gaps between observed and perceived flooding risks and climate change actions in North American cities

Monday, 14 December 2020
Poster
Chingwen Cheng, Arizona State University, The Design School, Tempe, AZ, United States, Heejun Chang, Portland State University, Department of Geography, Portland, OR, United States, William Duncan Solecki, City University of New York - Hunter College, Geography and Environmental Science, New York, NY, United States, Parisa Setayesh, City University of New York, The Graduate Center, New York, United States, Cliff I Davidson, Syracuse University, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, Syracuse, NY, United States, Tiffany Troxler, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States, Tischa Munoz-Erickson, USDA Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ, United States, David Iwaniec, Georgia State University, Urban Studies Institute, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Atlanta, GA, United States, Changdeok Gim, University of California, Irvine, Department of Informatics, Irvine, United States, Timon McPhearson, Urban Systems Lab, The New School, New York, NY, United States, Bernice Rosenzweig, Sarah Lawrence College, New York, United States, Robert Hobbins, Arizona State University, School of Sustainability, Tempe, AZ, United States, Yeowon Kim, Arizona State University, Global Institute of Sustainability, Tempe, AZ, United States, Pablo Mendez-Lazaro, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, Environmental Health Department, San Juan, PR, United States and Marta Berbes, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
Abstract:
Floods have contributed to significant economic losses in North American cities. Climate change has aggravated the impacts of flooding, particularly in cities with a lack of institutional adaptive capacity. As risk perceptions affect behaviors in taking actions, we ask to what degree do organizations involved in different levels of urban governance perceive flood risks differently from observed risks? This study examines eight cities in the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainable Research Network (UREx SRN): Atlanta, Baltimore, Phoenix, Portland, Miami, New York, Syracuse, and San Juan. Perceived risks were extracted from an extensive stakeholder survey conducted between 2017 to 2020 across the UREx SRN cities related to 1) concerns on flooding hazards, 2) sources of knowledge to assess risks, 3) priorities for evaluating uncertainty and planning for climate change, and 4) capacity to recognize uncertainty and utilize adaptive planning processes and decision-making mechanisms. The SHELDUS hazard dataset (2006–2018) was analyzed for the recorded numbers of flood hazards and associated economic losses. The primary study results suggest that cities exposed to hazards, or that experienced hazard-related economic losses, would perceive higher flooding risks and have more advanced knowledge systems and governance capacity. San Juan has higher risk perceptions yet ranked lower in adaptive capacity to climate change. Phoenix has higher observed flooding risks, yet lower perceived risks due to the other hazards such as heat that is experienced much more frequently than severe storm events. In contrast, Portland stakeholders have higher risk perceptions even though the city has not experienced much flooding in recent years. This study demonstrates the complexity of coupled human-natural systems by recognizing the gaps between the observed and perceived risks and by understanding priorities and limitations existing in the governance of resilience to address climate change uncertainty, adaptive management, and coping capacity.
<< Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >>