Stormwater on the margins

For many cities around the world, climate change is bringing more frequent intense downpours which can overwhelm urban stormwater management systems and lead to flooding and degraded water quality. These hazards disproportionately affect socially and economically marginalized communities. This paper looks at how an individual’s race, gender, and education level help predict one’s concern about stormwater management. The analysis finds that people of color, women, and less-educated respondents had a greater willingness to participate in stormwater management than White, male, and more-educated respondents, and their concern about local stormwater hazards drove their willingness to participate.

Scarlett, R.D., M. Subramaniam, S.K. McMillan, A.T. Ingermann, and S.M. Clinton (2021). Stormwater on the margins: Influence of race, gender and education on willingness to participate in stormwater management. Journal of Environmental Mangement, 290, 112552.