2022 Theses Doctoral

Optimization of Coastal Protective Strategies Against Flooding and Sea-level Rise

Miura, Yuki

In recent years, coastal regions worldwide have experienced some of the most devastating hurricanes, such as Harvey and Ida, which resulted in immense human and capital loss. Unfortunately, global climate change, particularly sea-level rise, only amplifies their consequences since hurricanes and the associated storm-induced flooding become more frequent and deadlier.

The goal of my work is to develop and implement tools towards effective strategies for resilient and sustainable cities, against storm hazards amidst climate change. We propose a comprehensive optimization framework to search, evaluate, and optimize over a multitude of potential solutions, under various budget and societal constraints. Our models yield significant monetary and efficiency improvements, and importantly, are created and updated based on stakeholders’ feedback (e.g., mayor’s office, transportation agencies, etc.). Case studies in New York City will be demonstrated.