The assessment considers two indices: 1) a flood exposure index that considers neighborhoods that are most likely to flood and 2) a flood vulnerability index that results from combining three vulnerability categories (health, socioeconomic, and housing) that predict residents’ capacity to respond to a flood. By assessing exposure and vulnerability separately, we are able to identify locations in Milwaukee where high vulnerability and flood exposure occur at the same time. The indices are developed at the census tract level, and can be overlaid with other boundaries such as zip codes.

A schematic showing the overlay of flood vulnerability index hotspots with flood exposure hotspots - a method that identifies places that are both highly vulnerable to flooding and likely to flood in a heavy rain event.

Racial Disparities in Flood Exposure

Map of potential for green infrastructure implementation from the City of Milwaukee's Green Infrastructure Plan, 2019 (click to enlarge).   9   This report identifies schools, publicly owned land, and street rights-of-way as presenting strong opportunities for resources to be allocated for the implementation of green infrastructure. Areas with a darker teal color indicate places where these opportunities overlap.

Over the past few years the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) have begun to look towards green infrastructure as a primary component of their stormwater and flooding planning. In 2013, MMSD published their Regional Green Infrastructure Plan,  8   outlining a vision of zero basement backups, overflows, and improved water quality. In 2019, the City of Milwaukee released its own Green Infrastructure Plan  9   with a city-specific goal of capturing 36 million gallons of water through green infrastructure, including a spatial analysis of the areas where green infrastructure could be implemented effectively across the city. In addition to these centralized planning efforts, nonprofits and neighborhood organizations across the city work to implement green infrastructure with support from the City of Milwaukee and MMSD.

Metcalfe Park neighborhood boundaries according to Milwaukee Neighborhood Identification Project (2000). Metcalfe Park is located to the northwest of downtown Milwaukee and is bound by 27th St. (east), 38th St. (west), Center St. (north) and North Ave. (south).

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Additional Contacts

Contributor

Dr. Joanne Bernstein, Medical College of Wisconsin

Contributor

Jess Haven, Groundwork Milwaukee

Contributor

Alexandria Zielinski, Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action

A schematic showing the overlay of flood vulnerability index hotspots with flood exposure hotspots - a method that identifies places that are both highly vulnerable to flooding and likely to flood in a heavy rain event.

Map of potential for green infrastructure implementation from the City of Milwaukee's Green Infrastructure Plan, 2019 (click to enlarge).   9   This report identifies schools, publicly owned land, and street rights-of-way as presenting strong opportunities for resources to be allocated for the implementation of green infrastructure. Areas with a darker teal color indicate places where these opportunities overlap.