Frederick Paige

Economically disadvantaged coastal communities face severe damage and casualties, which can be attributed to storm surges. Excessive amounts of inundation should be considered to a similar level to wind speeds and heavy rains that communities commonly prepare for amidst a hurricane event. Marginalized residents, such as residents of color, disabled residents, elderly residents, and residents occupying low-income housing, suffer from storm surge events. Coastal resiliency plans are bottlenecked by factors, such as residential stability, ability to relocate, and insurance coverage, all of which are inequitably constrained for marginalized communities. This exploratory study reviews the previous literature on wireless emergency alert (WEA) equity critiques and spatial analysis of the WEAs sent to coastal Virginia communities. Two research questions are explored in this paper: (1) How does the previous literature critique equity in wireless emergency alerts? (2) How many households are below the poverty line in areas where storm surge warnings have been sent? To improve the utilization of WEAs for the protection of low-income community members, there is evidence to support the increase in the frequency of message delivery and improving the call-to-action text. This paper sets the stage for future policy analyses and message design experimentation on emergency communication in coastal regions.

To improve the construction industry’s capacity to deliver sustainable infrastructure, guidance on delivering green building systems needs to be more usable. Green buildings have certifications and ratings in place that ensure that projects are environmentally responsible and meet standards in resource efficiency. EarthCraft Multifamily (ECMF), an evolving green building certification, has been successful in increasing the delivery of energy-efficient affordable housing, and this study leverages user experience (UX) methodologies to understand how to further improve ECMF and replicate its success. This study identifies the impact ECMF tools and resources, such as the program manual, worksheet, and technical guidelines, have on enhancing project delivery for architects. This study conducted data analysis on project specifications, heuristic evaluation data, and stakeholder interview data. As the strengths and weaknesses of ECMF were identified, knowledge on the usability of the green building certification program was unveiled. Heuristic evaluations data show that accessibility and usability issues are present in ECMF resources. Interview data show that architects’ experiences with ECMF resources were affected by some of the usability issues identified in the heuristic evaluation data. Coded interview transcripts show the most prominent participant-identified improvements represented within the data. Resources need appropriate visual representation such as readability and hierarchy to improve their usability. Understanding how ECMF resources are utilized during project delivery allows for the appropriate content and options to be strategically framed to improve accessibility and enhance user decision making. ECMF resources can allow for the inclusion of a broader set of stakeholders by lowering the level of expertise required for sustainable infrastructure delivery.