After a series of hurricanes, experts discuss how guide people out of the way of the most deadly floods and storms.
"As seas rise, flooding is becoming almost a weekly occurrence in cities up and down the East Coast. As storms grow stronger, so are the calls to walk away from the most flood-prone places," Miyuki Hino, Katharine J. Mach, and Christopher B. Field write in Vox.
The problem is not that there aren't good reasons to move. "We found that moving to safer ground can be an attractive option for many reasons: It protects livelihoods, restores coastal ecosystems, and reduces damages from extreme weather," they write. But existing incentives can push people to stay.
Property taxes support localities, motivating mayors to keep populations in place or grow them. In states like Florida and Texas, which lack a state income tax, this incentive gets even stronger.
Monetary concerns can contribute to states decisions to let developers build freely. Meanwhile, when these places flood, relief efforts call heavily on federal money. "Florida alone is home to 1,601 'severe repetitive loss properties' — properties that, on average, flood every two to three years and have been rebuilt five times with the help of taxpayer money. Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, has close to 2,000 such properties."
FULL STORY: Abandon Florida? Not quite. But it’s time for a retreat from flood zones.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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