New Flood Model Simulates How Urban Growth and Flood Risk Interact

North Carolina State University has posted a blog discussing a new model created by researchers that simulates how urban growth changes in response to future increased flooding risks. It emphasizes the multifaceted nature of flood risk in an era of climate change, as traditional models don’t track human responses to flood risk such as elevating buildings or moving development away from high-risk areas.

Using the Charleston, South Carolina metropolitan area as their test case, researchers compared current urban growth with predicted land and demographic changes to determine future flood risks based off a variety of policy responses. The scientists hope to expand the use of the model, called FUTURES 3.0, to additional communities and apply it on a regional scale. Read more at North Carolina State University.