Plan integration for resilience scorecard: evaluating networks of plans in six US coastal cities

Abstract

Planning for hazard mitigation is frequently detached from other planning activities that influence development patterns in hazardous areas. Consistent integration of mitigation reduces hazard vulnerability for people and the built environment. We apply a plan integration for resilience scorecard in six US coastal cities to evaluate the integration of local networks of plans and the degree to which they target areas most vulnerable to flooding hazards. We find that plan integration scores vary widely across the six cities, and that some plans actually increase vulnerability in hazard zones. Policies also frequently support mitigation in areas with low vulnerability, rather than in areas with high vulnerability. The plan integration for resilience scorecard can generate information to improve hazard planning by allowing planners to identify conflicts between plans, assess whether plans target areas that are most vulnerable, and better inform decision makers about opportunities to mainstream mitigation into multiple sectors of planning.

Keywords:

• land use planning
• hazard vulnerability
• policy evaluation
• coastal flooding

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest with respect to this research.

Notes

1. Examples include plans for land use, hazard mitigation, parks and recreation, housing, transportation, and capital improvements. A thorough discussion of the broad range of different types of plans, legal status, and how they influence community vulnerability to hazards is presented by Schwab (2010).

Additional information

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the US Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate [grant number 0031369]. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the US Department of Homeland Security.