Research Tools: Notre Dame Releases Climate Vulnerability Assessment of More than 270 U.S. Cities

From the U. of Notre Dame:

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have completed a two-year assessment of the current climate risks of more than 270 U.S. cities.
The result is the Urban Adaptation Assessment (UAA), an open-source, free measurement and analysis tool that explores a city’s ability to adapt and readiness for adaptation to climate change.
Funded by The Kresge Foundation, the UAA provides the projected cost and probability of climate-related hazards, such as drought, flooding and sea level rise, in 2040. Just as critical, the tool includes sub-city mapping, allowing the exploration of potential inequities within each city and providing a picture of how city and sustainability officials can implement more inclusive adaptation options for all residents.
“We saw that current indicators and measurement tools evaluate vulnerability at the city level, but there is also a need for data-driven analysis that illustrates how cities can effectively prepare for a changing climate,” said Patrick Regan, director of Notre Dame’s Global Adaptation Initiative. “By including sub-city analysis, residents can explore conditions within a city through a social equity lens.”
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Researchers created an online platform to visualize data for every city in the United States and Puerto Rico with a population of at least 100,000. Features include:

• A rich, open-source dataset covering more than 40 indicators for over 270 cities.
• Risk and readiness scores for each city in the event of flooding, extreme heat, extreme cold, sea-level rise and drought.
• Projected cost and probability of climate-related hazards in 2040.
• Assessment of risks due to climate-related hazards.
• Evaluations of readiness to implement adaptation measures.

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The UAA website includes resources to help new users learn how to get the most out of the online tool and how to apply the data toward their work.

Read the Complete Announcement
Direct to Urban Adaptation Assessment (UAA)

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