Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Walton County, Florida, a low-lying coastal region, is highly susceptible to flooding, sea level rise, and storm surges. These hazards disproportionately impact communities, with socially vulnerable populations being less likely to recover from disaster events. This study presents an integrated assessment of vulnerability to flooding, considering natural hazards such as a 1-day 100-year storm event, a 3-foot sea level rise scenario, and storm surge risk, combined with a social vulnerability analysis, aiming to identify the most socially vulnerable communities within Walton County's flood-prone areas. Additionally, the integrated analysis takes into consideration a priority of land use approach, identifying facilities that are critical or essential for an emergency response and recovery. The study also recommends a series of projects, including green, gray, and hybrid solutions, as well as policy changes to mitigate flood risks and enhance resilience within these communities.

This thesis examined the road impact fee realities of 11 of Palm Beach County’s public and private sector land development stakeholders. To learn more about how the county’s road impact fee ordinance works in practice, in 2021, 11 stakeholders were interviewed about their experiences with the county’s road impact fee program. Transportation impact fee programs may help relieve development-driven traffic externalities and cost burdens, so long as suitable methodologies are applied (Burge & Ihlanfeldt, 2013; Stahl, 2021). In 2021, Palm Beach County’s road impact fee ordinance required all county development applicants to pay a specified road impact fee dollar amount, regardless of the proposed project’s location and traffic impact, with exceptions (Moore, 2021b; Salour, 2021). Key arguments for and against the county’s road impact fees touch on differences between travel needs, land use patterns, and transit potential in the county’s urban and rural/suburban communities (Clemente, 2021; Hernandez, 2021; Salour, 2021).

Natural disasters often result in large-scale power outages. Real-time tracking of the extent, distribution, and timelines of electrical service loss and recovery can play an important role in minimizing disaster impacts. Using NASA's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night Band (DNB), the extent and duration of disrupted electric utility infrastructure in the Florida Panhandle following Hurricane Michael were estimated. The percent loss of electrical service was downscaled to a neighborhood level using the 2013-2017 American Community Survey (ACS) data at the block group level. Two ordinary least square models were estimated to examine the association between socioeconomic characteristics and the extent and duration of the power outages as well as recovery rates. The study found that block groups with higher percent minorities, multi-family housing units, rural areas, and a higher percentage of households receiving public assistance were experiencing slower power restoration rates than urban and more affluent neighborhoods. The findings have implications for disaster preparedness and recovery planning.

Flooding is a major threat to coastal and inland communities in the state of Florida. There are a variety of reasons for the increasing risk of flooding, such as hurricanes, torrential downpours, sea level rise, and storm surge/tides. This paper will focus on Nassau County, the most northeastern county in the state. While the area is affected by most of the aforementioned flood become more prominent over the years and will continue to impact the safety and well-being of coastal communities. In this context, planning for the future entails conducting multi-hazard analysis of risks posed by current and future storm events. This study undertakes a comprehensive analysis of flood risks in Nassau County, Florida, and examines current and future zoning and land use plans and buildings codes to provide science-based recommendations for addressing these risks.

Flooding can impact a community's social, cultural, environmental, and economic resources; therefore, generating a sound, science-based, long-term decision to improve resiliency is critical for future prosperity and growth. Developing watershed management plans is essential in assisting local communities in reducing flood insurance costs through mitigation and resiliency efforts. This effort, specifically for this report, will focus on the Pensacola Watershed Basin and the development procedures to assess the risks of flooding and storm surges. Utilizing readily available data on topography, ground surface water elevations, tidal data for coastal communities, open space, and rainfall, a framework was developed to facilitate flood risk assessments under various conditions. Such knowledge allows communities to properly prepare and prevent major damages during times of high flooding, such as tropical storms and hurricanes.

This research examines historic preservation, sustainability, and environmental hazards in the face of climate change in reference to World Heritage Sites; particularly focusing on the question: Can UNESCO World Heritage Sites be conserved and protected in the face of climate change and environmental hazards? There are 1,121 World Heritage Sites listed by UNESCO and are categorized as cultural, natural, or a mix of both. The majority of these sites are at risk from different environmental hazards that could threaten their existence or long-term survival; however, policy initiatives can mitigate some of these impacts. It was discovered that every continental region, with the exception of Oceania, had a site considered to be the most vulnerable. There were 27 sites deemed most vulnerable, only 2.4% of the World Heritage Sites. Most of these sites were located along the Pacific Coasts of Asia, and both North and South America.