Americans are abandoning areas of high flood risk in significant numbers, according to research by the First Street Foundation.
Climate Abandonment Areas account for more than 818,000 Census Blocks and lost a total of 3.2 million-plus residents due to flooding from 2000 to 2020, the study found. Analysts combined historic population change trends with flood risk data, identifying climate migration patterns in areas with high flood risk across the U.S.
In the next 30 years, current Climate Abandonment Areas are projected to lose 2.5 million more residents due to flood risk. Emerging Climate Abandonment Areas are expected to soon reach a tipping point and are projected to lose five million residents, 24% of their population, by 2053.
Those left behind in abandonment areas will likely be people of modest means who cannot afford to leave.
Related Stories
Microgrid | Jan 16, 2022
Resilience is what makes microgrids attractive as back-up energy controls
Jacobs is working with clients worldwide to ensure mission critical operations can withstand unexpected emergencies.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Jan 12, 2022
Total steel project performance
This instructor-led video course discusses actual project scenarios where collaborative steel joist and deck design have reduced total-project costs. In an era when incomplete structural drawings are a growing concern for our industry, the course reveals hidden costs and risks that can be avoided.
Resiliency | Oct 19, 2021
Achieving resiliency through integrated design
Planning for and responding to the effects of adverse shocks and stresses is typically what architects and engineers have always thought of as good standard design practices.
Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021
White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners
A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.
Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021
White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners
A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.
Resiliency | Aug 4, 2021
A new team forms to assess climate change’s effects on the built environment
Arup and First Street Foundation are using extensive datasets to develop risk-mitigating resilience solutions.
Resiliency | Jul 15, 2021
A new report urges federal investment in healthier buildings
The National Institute of Building Sciences also calls for code changes and greater cooperation between building owners and the AEC community.
![Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]](/sites/default/files/styles/list_big/public/Oceanographer%20John%20Englander%20Talks%20Resiliency%20and%20Buildings%20YT%20new_0.jpg?itok=enJ1TWJ8 "Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]")
Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021
Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]
New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.
High-rise Construction | May 27, 2021
The anti-high rise: Seattle's The Net by NBBJ
In this exclusive video interview for HorizonTV, Ryan Mullenix, Design Partner with NBBJ, talks with BD+C's John Caulfield about a new building in Seattle called The Net that promotes wellness and connectivity.
Resiliency | Mar 2, 2021
Elizabeth River Project's Resilience Lab set to break ground this year
Work Program Architects is designing the project.
