July 2, 2025, Filed Under: Publications, Student AchievementsNew publication in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction Postdoc Koorosh Azizi and PhD students Yuer Wang and Olivia Enriquez co-authored a paper with Dr. Paola Passalacqua, Dr. Dev Niyogi, and Dr. Patrick Bixler examining multi-sectoral perspectives on flood governance in coastal communities. Using thematic analysis and fuzzy cognitive mapping of interviews with 14 government, nonprofit, and industry stakeholders in Texas and Alabama, the study revealed two competing governance frameworks: (1) an equal opportunity view predominantly held by government and industry actors that favors technical infrastructure solutions, and (2) a disparate impact view emphasized by nonprofits that highlights how flooding disproportionately affects marginalized communities due to existing social inequities. Misalignment between these frameworks produces gaps in collaboration and fragmented risk reduction efforts, with government stakeholders prioritizing physical infrastructure improvements while nonprofit organizations focus on social vulnerabilities and community trust-building. These findings suggest that effective coastal resilience requires integrating drainage and structural investments with targeted social programs, fostering purposeful cross-sector dialogue, and developing mechanisms that build local adaptive capacity rather than relying solely on technical solutions.
