373 - Urban Coastlines at Risk: Identifying Physical, Social, and Sociophysical Vulnerability Drivers in Texas’ Coastal Bend

Cities around the world are increasingly experiencing climate change impacts. Beyond the naturogenic origin of certain hazards, anthropogenic vulnerability drivers add additional stress on communities and infrastructure. The combination of naturogenic and anthropogenic hazards along shorelines needs to be investigated through the lens of social vulnerability impacting the everyday life of residents to allow for a comprehensive assessment of physical, social, and sociophysical vulnerability.
This study aims to identify social, physical, and sociophysical vulnerability drivers and visualize their spatial relationships to examine impacts on coastal communities. Methodologically, this work utilizes a participatory mixed-methods approach to identify urban vulnerability zones with stakeholder input. It outlines how community input can be utilized to identify selected sites and hazards within their respective cities and neighborhoods. Furthermore, a vulnerability index is created to rank spatial cells based on census tracts into four vulnerability levels from extremely low to high. A series of GIS maps visualize the respective vulnerability of each spatial cell.
The particular focus of this study is on cities in Nueces, San Patricio, and Aransas County in Texas’ Coastal Bend Region as these areas are particular vulnerability zones facing climatic, geographic, infrastructural, and demographic challenges.
The paper concludes with a vulnerability assessment, overlaying social, physical, and sociophysical factors, and includes policy recommendations as potential strategies to mitigate and adapt to selected hazards. Therefore, this study becomes a guide for engaged scholars in the field of urban sustainability, decision-makers, and community groups in the process of identifying the causes, drivers, and impacts of urban hazards along the coast.