The National Housing Trust and Climate Central released an analysis evaluating the risk to affordable housing from flooding related to sea-level rise over the next 30 years. The report found:
- The number of affordable rental apartments at risk from coastal flooding and sea-level rise is expected to more than triple during the next three decades.
- By 2050, virtually every coastal state is expected to have at least some affordable rentals exposed to more than one “coastal flood risk event” per year, on average—up from about half of coastal states in the year 2000.
- New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts have the largest share of affordable housing stock and number of units at risk. Projections for New York City, Atlantic City and Boston show that each city could have thousands of units exposed to chronic coastal flooding by 2050.
The full study was published in Environmental Research Letters, Sea level rise and coastal flooding threaten affordable housing. A report and summary of the study is available on the Climate Central website with a new map layer showing affordable housing stocks at risk from coastal flooding by location, year and pollution scenario.
