Innovating Effective Engineering Designs for Hazard Risk Reduction in North Carolina

The research plan consists of the below listed five objectives relevant to the overall purpose of the study: to advance understanding of how political and economic variables among coastal communities and decision-makers drive NbS choices, and how these choices, in turn, influence coastal hazard risks to these communities.1. Objective 1: Determine how governance and social factors influence the utilization of NbS in different socio-political and environmental settings. We will use surveys and semi structured interviews to understand perspectives and perceptions of community stakeholders who are considering different coastal protection strategies. 2. Objective 2: Assess how ecological factors constrain the NbS choices explored previously. 3. Objective 3: Design plausible scenarios of NbS implementation based on the results of Objective 1, that are ecologically appropriate for each location. 4. Objective 4: Co-develop current and future hazard scenarios, including wave and tidal information, that are site specific for each community. 5. Objective 5: Evaluate the effectiveness of different, socially and ecologically appropriate NbS designs [determined in Objectives 1-3] against the hazards [determined in Objective 4], or reducing flood extents, and ultimately flood damages to shoreline communities and their assets and infrastructure. This research will expand on current modeling approaches to simulate the effectiveness of NbS-integrated coastal landscapes.

VIVO