After the Flood: Exercising Best Practices in Property Acquisition Programs and Open Space Projects

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Rohmer, Ashton
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of City and Regional Planning

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One of the most effective tools communities have to mitigate the impacts of disasters is to relocate populations and property out of hazard-prone areas. This voluntary process, often referred to as a “buyout” or property acquisition, is typically exercised in floodplains and is becoming a more common option for communities to consider, particularly those that have incurred repetitive losses from recurring flood events. This approach is not only used in the United States, but has also been used in other countries; in Christchurch, New Zealand, for example, buyouts were pursued following a series of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 (MacMillan, 2013). The buyout process involves multiple decision points. First local municipalities must assess whether or not property acquisition is cost effective and an appropriate option (ideally with community input and support for the proposed buyout). They also must determine which properties should be prioritized for acquisition, if and how to respond to the housing needs of relocated residents, and how the land will be utilized upon acquisition. While buyout programs have disadvantages – including a loss of tax base, disruptions to social ties, and exacerbating equity issues, among others – many communities have successfully removed thousands of properties from flood-prone areas and the administrative process that these communities follow is relatively well understood (Salvesen, 2003; FEMA, 1998).

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