Flooded with Frames: Public Perceptions of Green Infrastructure Mitigation Strategies in Urban Spaces
Image credit: AMSAbstract
The impacts of flooding is an increasing hydrometeorological concern globally, especially in urban spaces. Cities, in response, design mitigation strategies in order to combat the consequences of excess water. These flood mitigation strategies also simultaneously reduce the impacts of excessive heat, which are also exacerbated in urban areas. Despite the mutual benefits, these measures are framed under different names (Green Infrastructure or Low Impact Development) and discussed only around one of the impacts (flooding, instead of flooding and heat). Through a national survey of the United States and a document analysis of the extent of recent investments and future ambitions related to green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), this work aims to contextualize the public perceptions of Green Infrastructure and their support to pay for these implementations through grants or loans at a local or municipal level. Though this data is scoped to look at changes in perception based on location (urban, suburban, and rural) and where that city is located (US climate zones), we anticipate that these findings can be extended to other international areas with similar mitigation foci. Especially as the impacts of flooding and excessive heat in urban areas are becoming more pressing with the changing climate, it is important to understand how we communicate about mitigation, which will benefit meteorologists and practitioners worldwide.
