Living with Water: Community-Driven Research for Adapting to Flood Risk

This project contributes to building capacity of a local governance system to create more equitable adaptation strategies. It will provide Duwamish Valley residents with more tools to advocate for community-led and -supported strategies to adapt to climate change and manage flood risk as the City of Seattle begins planning for equitable long-term solutions.

Hub Researchers

Maja Jeranko
Nicole Errett
Celina Balderras Guzman

Collaborators

Duwamish River Community Coalition

Maja Jeranko, Mjeranko@uw.edu

Nicole Errett, nerrett@uw.edu

Understanding the community:

In December 2022, the Duwamish River valley experienced an unprecedented flooding event, resulting from a combination of climate change-induced sea-level rise, heavy rainfall, and lack of historic government investment in infrastructure. The flood impacted more than 80 homes and businesses in the South Park neighborhood, whose residents regularly experience environmental injustices and health disparities. After this event, the city implemented several short-term solutions to reduce the risk of flooding (e.g., sandbagging), yet no long-term climate adaptation and mitigation/risk management plan has been developed. Given the accelerated need for adaptation solutions exposed by the flood, we partnered with Duwamish River Community Coalition (DRCC) to center the voices of Duwamish Valley residents in advocating for climate justice by identifying shared priorities and strategies for climate adaptation using participatory approaches.

Research Goals:

Assess the benefits and drawbacks – including social, economic, cultural, environmental and health consequences – of different approaches to flood adaptation through narrative literature review
Engage South Park residents to prioritize identified flood resilience strategies for additional exploration, considering their socio-economic values, community health, and wellbeing
Co-design strategies for flood adaptation with South Park Residents through workshops/interviews/focus groups
Evaluate the appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility of our approach to community co-design of flood and climate change adaptation strategies

Co-designing solutions for community long-term safety, health, and well-being

Create community materials that translate available science on the benefits and costs of flood control strategies
Build and deliver workshop(s) for community members to evaluate strategies for improving resilience and preparedness for flood risks
Report on actionable community-driven recommendations regarding sea-level rise adaptation for city/county decision-makers
Provide recommendations for community engagement in climate change adaptation research, locally and in other environmental justice communities