More than half of the US population resides in the coastal zone, leading to an increase in vulnerable populations, particularly those aged 65 and older. This demographic is increasingly susceptible to climate impacts such as intensified flooding, storm surges, and rising sea levels. Additionally, high tide flooding has surged in recent years, posing severe threats to urban infrastructure and natural systems. While the concept of resilience has been extensively researched, its quantification remains challenging. Existing frameworks often focus on assessing urban resilience or suggest avenues for improvement. Although researchers have developed means to quantify urban flood resilience, the quantification of coastal flood resilience has been overlooked, emphasizing the need for a reliable methodology. This study integrates two previously developed GIS-based regional-scale methodologies – the Urban Flood Resilience and Robustness-Resistance-Recovery frameworks. Modified versions were applied to Hampton, Virginia, utilizing nine indicators combined into three sub-indicators: Resistance, Adaptation, and Recovery. A unique process factoring in annual tidal exceedance probabilities was combined with Flood Resilience to produce a map depicting Coastal Flood Resilience. Compared to previous studies, this research focuses on a smaller area, enhancing data specificity. Findings reveal a fragmented picture of Flood Resilience in Hampton falling within medium-low to low categories, while Coastal Flood Resilience falls primarily within medium-high to medium-low categories. This study adapts a regional framework to a smaller-scale coastal city, exploring its applicability and identifying potential improvements and limitations. Landscape architects can use the Coastal Flood Resilience mapping process to inform site planning and design decisions. Understanding the high-risk zones for coastal flooding allows for strategic placement of design elements to enhance flood resilience.
Lexi Dart is a PhD student at the University of Florida with a concentration in Landscape Architecture. As a PhD student, she is investigating how coastal flood resilience can be spatially quantified to help communities understand their opportunities and constraints for climate change planning. Having grown up on the coast of southwest England, she witnessed the dynamic force of the sea from an early age. Still, it was an internship where she worked with at-risk coastal communities that solidified her passion for studying coastal resilience.
Jules Bruck
Jack Puleo
Delaney Doran