2016 Theses Master's

Stronger than the Storm? Promoting the Post-Sandy Resilience of Historic Resources in New Jersey’s Coastal Communities

Hovanic, Charles

This thesis seeks to contribute to the resilience of historic resources on the Jersey Shore by analyzing ways in which the New Jersey preservation community’s response to Superstorm Sandy can inform future plans for hazard mitigation and adaptation to climate change. In order to accomplish this, this work attempts to identify the pre-existing conditions that influenced the ways in which preservationists responded to Superstorm Sandy, the strengths and weaknesses of preservation agencies’ responses, and how these can inform the ways in which heritage practitioners promote the resilience of historic resources in the face of climate change. By compiling oral histories of preservationists working in the aftermath of Sandy, this thesis provides a comprehensive narrative for a previously untold story. Additionally, this research aims to contribute to the growing body knowledge surrounding the incorporation of historic preservation into planning for both natural disasters and sea level rise. Taking the issues identified on the Jersey Shore and recognizing the opportunities for change, this thesis fills a gap in academic literature by discussing how preservationists can practically apply adaptation and mitigation measures.