Funding Resilient Infrastructure on the Quick: US Federal Transit Disaster Programs after Superstorm Sandy

Abstract

The applied concept of resilience has garnered attention in the public eye and academic scholarship in the past decade. Through a rise in popularity, its meaning has morphed depending upon scale, audience, and what system must be resilient. This poses a problem of consistency for agencies, firms, and others working to make cities more adaptable to increasingly variable climate conditions. This work provides a critical examination of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) $1.4 billion Emergency Relief program funding after Superstorm Sandy. The program, funded through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 213, allowed transportation providers the chance not only to rebuild but to make postemergency system improvements. This new paradigm for emergency funding creates opportunities to develop climate-adaptive infrastructure and services to prepare for the next, rather than the last, disaster. By examining and categorizing the allocation of FTA funds with respect to storm surge vulnerability, we consider the social equity implications of projects funded to date.