Disproportionate Impacts of Stormwater Infrastructure Failure on Unhoused Communities: A Literature Review
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2024
ABSTRACT
High-intensity storms expose pervasive deficiencies in aging stormwater management infrastructure, which poses a significant threat to the growing population of Americans living in unsheltered conditions. Unhoused communities are particularly vulnerable to flooding hazards, as their makeshift residences lack structural stability and property insurance protections, resulting in excessive damages and casualties. This literature review investigates how failures in stormwater infrastructure systems during high-intensity hazards disproportionately endanger unhoused individuals throughout the United States. Direct content analysis methods were used to converge on empirical consistencies in literature at the intersection of civil infrastructure systems, socially vulnerable communities, and resilience against natural hazards. Results identify limitations in the existing literature, as well as descriptive emergent themes to inform future research. This project aims to reevaluate current engineering best practices to more equitably protect unhoused communities from flooding hazards.
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Construction Research Congress 2024
Pages: 117 - 126
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Published online: Mar 18, 2024
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