Abstract
Flood exposure is growing due to increased coastal development and most cities lack reliable responses for future climate change. Climate adaptation involves many actors and more often than not these actors fail to coordinate holistically. Typically, climate flood modeling decisions are made by one or two people for the sake of an entire population. Making the modeling process, or other climate risk projects, collaborative allows for improved hazard accuracy and equity. The utilization of collaborative platforms, such as GoVocal, can increase resident participation and transparency between planning organizations. The inclusion of regional flood modeling groups in the creation and validation of the flood model will yield more accurate results while exploring a wider variety of adaptation options. Additionally, understanding resident preferences and perceptions of natural hazards with geographic information systems allows planners to better cater to the needs of a community. Using responses from a resident survey, spatial analysis revealed potential relationships between flood perceptions, preferences, and risk variables. My assistance with the NSF FloodRISE project at the University of Miami Climate Risks & Preparedness Lab applied interdisciplinary research towards collaborative flood modeling in Miami-Dade County. The methods of my research are highlighted in this report with a focus on being reproducible in other locations that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.