AUTHOR=Adhikari Pramodit , Abdelhafez Mohamed A. , Dong Yue , Guo Yanlin , Mahmoud Hussam N. , Ellingwood Bruce R. TITLE=Achieving Residential Coastal Communities Resilient to Tropical Cyclones and Climate Change JOURNAL=Frontiers in Built Environment VOLUME=6 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/built-environment/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2020.576403 DOI=10.3389/fbuil.2020.576403 ISSN=2297-3362 ABSTRACT=

Coastal cities in the Southeast and Gulf Coast of the United States are at an increased risk of tropical cyclones (hurricanes) due to the combined effects of urbanization, rapid economic development, and climate change. Current building codes and standards focus on minimum performance criteria for individual buildings exposed to severe hazard events to ensure occupant safety. However, they do not consider the resilience of buildings and building portfolios, which are key factors in determining whether a community can respond to and recover from a severe natural hazard event. Light-frame wood residential buildings dominate the residential market in the US, represent a significant percentage of the investment in the built environment, and are especially vulnerable to hurricane winds and storm surge in coastal areas. Our study of the impact of various hurricane and climate change scenarios on the performance of coastal residential communities reveals that decision-making at the community level is needed to develop rational engineering and urban planning policies, to mitigate the impact of hurricane wind and storm surge, and to adapt to climate change. The results suggest that fundamental changes in the current building regulatory process may be necessary.