Social disparities in neighborhood flood exposure in 44,698 urban neighborhoods in Latin America
In this study, authors used daily flood data (2000–2018) to describe socioeconomic disparities in flooding on the basis of neighborhood educational attainment, comparing disparities across and within cities in Latin America. They used multilevel models to examine disparities in area flooding by city- and neighbourhood-level factors, including 44,698 neighbourhoods in 276 cities from eight countries with a total of 223 million residents and 117 distinct flood events.
One in 4 residents of neighbourhoods in the lowest quintile of educational attainment was exposed to flooding, compared with 1 in 20 residents of neighbourhoods in the highest quintile of educational attainment. Neighborhoods experiencing more flooding included those with lower educational attainment, that were coastal, less dense, further from the city center and greener, and that had steeper slopes. We show large social disparities in neighborhood flooding within Latin American cities. Policymakers must prioritize flood adaptation and recovery efforts in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status.
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