Flood Risk and Vulnerability: Evaluating the Fiscal and Social Implications of Property Buyouts in Flood-prone Communities

This project will compare risk profiles of original and relocation neighborhoods by tracking movements of buyout participants, examine the financial implications of buyouts, and develop a GIS-based decision support tool to support future buyouts.

By design, buyouts (specific funds used to purchase properties in qualifying areas prone to flooding events, creating open space, parks, or overflow areas) reduce flood risk at designated locations by removing people and structures out of harm's way.

The knowledge gained from this project could guide decisions about future buyouts and other land use-based adaptation strategies, the fiscal impacts of buyout-induced movement, and allow public decision makers to visualize and assess the impacts of historical buyout projects.