Partners
Many municipal partners, including Tucson, Charlotte, ACC, Baltimore, Denver, UWIN, NSF
Key researchers
Brian Bledsoe (University of Georgia), Andrew Miller (University of Maryland), Tim Stephens (University of Georgia), Gina Lee (University of Maryland)
Project description
Current research efforts seek to better understand the interactions between flood flows and urban channels, floodplains and riparian zones as influenced by urban infrastructure and efforts to mitigate impacts of urban development, green infrastructure (GI), low impact development (LID), and sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) on flood response and other environmental consequences. Research Questions: How does the efficacy of floodplain vs. upland GI for mitigating flood risks vary among regions? In what ways does sensitivity of flood risks to prospective solutions vary across regions? How do interactions among climate, land use, physiography and GI/LID produce threshold behavior in flood hazards and risks?
Project goal
Develop a flood hydraulic model to generate flood hazard maps that provide a means for comparative analysis among competing mitigation and hydro-meteorological scenarios while explicitly communicating the uncertainty associated with flood hazard mapping. These results can be used by the broader community to guide individual homeowner and management decisions regarding future development, mitigation strategies, and risk assessment.
Project status/outcomes
Ongoing