"Coastal Flooding and the Built Environment: Causes, Consequences, and Policy Implications" - Sam Brody (Texas A&M University Galveston) 

Abstract: Increasing impacts from coastal flooding across the United States has generated interest in understanding how to effectively stem the rising costs of chronic and acute events. This presentation will address the growing flood problem from a built environment perspective. I will describe the underlying conditions contributing to flood losses, the logic behind creating the flood risk reduction framework, and the new research tools and technologies emerging to address this challenge.  

Bio:  Samuel Brody is Director of the Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas and Regents Professor and George P. Mitchell '40 Chair in Sustainable Coasts, Texas A&M University Galveston Campus, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University.  Sam Brody studies coastal environmental planning, flood and natural hazards mitigation, and has worked in both the public and private sectors to help local communities adopt flood mitigation plans.  Lead editor of Coastal Flood Risk Reduction: The Netherlands and the U.S. Upper Texas Coast (2022, with co-editors Yoonjeong Lee and Baukje Kothuis), Dr. Brody’s work integrates across the sciences and planning to better characterize, predict, plan for, and manage flood risks ( you can explore IDRT interactive tools here). Professor Brody earned his Bachelor’s in environmental studies and anthropology from Bowdoin College, a Master’s in resource policy and behavior from the University of Michigan, and his Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.