Tunnel vision?

Abstract

Urban flooding caused by an antiquated mixed sewage-stormwater drainage system affects about 172,000 buildings in Chicago and suburban Cook County, Illinois, incurring billion-dollar costs in property damage, environmental contamination, and personal distress each decade. Though the disproportionate burden of urban flooding in communities of color is well-documented, it is unclear whether large urban flood mitigation projects—such as Chicago’s under-construction Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP)—effectively and equitably rectify the situation. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study developed a population-weighted urban flood susceptibility model and utilized that model to recruit residents from high- and low-susceptibility zones and near-reservoir areas. Eighteen semi-structured resident interviews were then thematically analyzed to compare flooding trends and TARP’s perceived impacts. Interviewees’ experiences illustrate how the uneven burden of urban flooding persists even after TARP’s implementation. Better understanding residents’ perceptions of their own flood risk under the TARP project helps advance more inclusive and effective stormwater governance, both in Chicago and in other cities building ‘deep tunnel’ systems.