Unpacking “Social Vulnerability” and “Equity”: Critical Insights From Stormwater Climate Adaptation Research in the US Gulf Coast

Abstract

This paper assesses how the concepts of social vulnerability and equity are discursively constructed in co-production research settings with a co-created decision support tool. The data was collected during workshops (32 communities represented) and interviews (24 communities represented) with stormwater managers and stakeholders (SMS) working in small cities, counties/parishes, and villages and towns within 100 miles of the US Gulf Coast. Findings from participant observation of workshops show that SMS express similar viewpoints regarding indicators of social vulnerability to climate-related hazards, often defining vulnerable people as less physically mobile or as having few monetary resources. Individuals articulated “community” through a lens of homeownership and often described their relationship to residents as strained. Findings from interviews reveal divergent viewpoints on the imperative and rationale for integrating social vulnerability data into stormwater assessments and planning. Interviews also generated more critical reflection than was present in workshops regarding racial disparities in flood hazard exposure. A key insight from this article is that tools and team composition matter but there is nuance in the degree to which they matter considering a range of contextual factors. The article argues that co-production teams must plan for alternatives and different scenarios given the messiness of co-production in practice and that research is needed to reveal the conditions under which specific tools matter for equity in terms of both process and outcomes.