MCA: Enhancing the Resilience of Interdependent Natural-Built Infrastructure Systems in Urbanized Coastal River Floodplains with Geomorphological Solutions

This project aims to improve the resilience of flood-vulnerable communities inhabiting low-lying, urbanized coastal river floodplains. Many residents belonging to approximately 40% of the U.S. population, who are living in coastal counties, may benefit from this project. The project will examine how the interdependencies among natural and built infrastructure systems influence flood risk and how natural habitats can be utilized to mitigate flood impacts.

The knowledge generated will strengthen the ability of decision-makers to maximize national security, public safety, the quality of life, and the protection of natural habitats. The project will broaden the participation in STEM research, education, and workforce by advancing a research program founded on convergence science and innovation, mentoring, science communication, and creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments.

This project advances the conceptual and methodological framework for flood resilience by co-creating a deeper understanding of flooding-induced disruptions on the integrated natural-built infrastructure of low-lying, urbanized coastal river floodplains. The project adopts a convergence science approach that integrates disciplinary cultures, theories, methods, and data from the fields of geomorphology and transportation engineering.

The project will generate fundamental knowledge on geomorphological networks, interdependencies between geomorphological networks and built infrastructure networks, the impacts of these interdependencies on cascading failures from floods, and the potential of geomorphological habitats as nature-based solutions. The knowledge and tools generated will allow for observing, understanding, and exploring the potential trajectories of natural-built infrastructure interactions during floods and strengthen the ability to mitigate flood risks and impacts while maintaining and enhancing natural habitats.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.