Assessing barriers to green infrastructure for flood mitigation

Green infrastructure is a popular topic in urban communities and government institutions as a sustainable solution. While there are many research publications illustrating the benefits of green infrastructure, not many discuss the barriers to planning and implementation. There is not much research discussing insufficient investment in adopting green infrastructure as a flood mitigation tool. This research study focuses on identifying (1) what the physical, socio-cultural, political-institutional, and economic barriers are based on three case studies (Waimanalo, North Shore Kaua’i, Ala Wai) in Hawai’i to implementing green infrastructure, and (2) what important planning metrics are needed to develop a strategic and effective flood hazard mitigation plan that prioritizes green infrastructure but also accomplishes environmental justice objectives. A secondary literature review was conducted to find barriers to green infrastructure implementation. A comparative study evaluating hazard mitigation plans was also carried out to develop a hazard mitigation plan framework. The framework was applied to each case study. A quantitative analysis was conducted to demonstrate how the framework can be used across these case study sites and applied to other potential communities. The key findings include: (1) political-institutional and economic barriers in all three case studies and (2) several metrics are needed to properly design a strategic and effective flood hazard mitigation planning framework. While there are limitations in this study, the research demonstrates how social and environmental justice goals for many urban and rural communities can be advanced. This also includes uplifting the field of adaptation policies, training, education, guidance, and standards.