Sustainability and Social Justice

Creating an Index of Vulnerability to Severe Coastal Storms Along the North Shore of Boston

Document Type

Article

Abstract

A great deal of uncertainty accompanies predictions of the potential effects of global climate change on the coastal hazards associated with severe storms. One way to obviate the effects of this uncertainty on the design of policies is to understand the manner in which populations are currently vulnerable to these types of hazards. In this chapter, we develop a method for constructing a relative composite measure of vulnerability using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Through the application of this index, and one constructed using a weighted average, to four costal towns along Boston's North Shore, we demonstrate their potential usefulness to policy formulation and implementation. The DEA composite index is shown to complement the information provided by the weighted average and helps overcome some of its shortcomings such as assigning importance weights and masking of the influence of one or a subset of vulnerability attributes. Acknowledging the spatial implications of floodplain protection and mitigation efforts, the indices are constructed and analyzed at a number of different geographic scales. Copyright © 2009 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Publication Title

Financial Modeling Applications and Data Envelopment Applications

Publication Date

12-1-2009

Volume

13

First Page

143

Last Page

178

ISSN

0276-8976

ISBN

9781848558786

DOI

10.1108/S0276-8976(2009)0000013011

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