University of Richmond Faculty and Student Researchers Support Community Efforts to Mitigate Flooding and Heat Concerns

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — University of Richmond faculty and student researchers in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability are supporting two community projects to mitigate climate-related issues.

UR has partnered with the local nonprofit Southside ReLeaf on Go with the Flow, a stormwater mapping community science initiative. The project invites Richmond-area residents to contribute real-time data on flooding throughout the city each time it rains.

University of Richmond geography, environment, and sustainability professors Todd Lookingbill and Stephanie Spera, and their undergraduate research students, will use the data collected from the surveys to build a detailed and predictive flood risk model for the city — revealing where and why flooding occurs and where green infrastructure could have the greatest impact.

“This is a hands-on learning opportunity for our students that also directly benefits the city we call home,” said Spera. “With the help of community members across Richmond, we’re building a data-driven model that can help mitigate stormwater flooding and guide investments in resilience infrastructure.”

The survey, accessible via mobile devices, captures simple details like the date, time, and location of rainfall and whether flooding occurred.

“Knowing where it doesn’t flood is just as important as knowing where it does,” said Spera. “Each report helps strengthen the accuracy of our model.”

The research team has also been working on a project related to bus shelters around the city in collaboration with RVA Rapid Transit. The students first rode the bus to observe the different types of shelters — or lack thereof — related to mitigating heat, providing shade, or sheltering from rain. They then installed temperature sensors at 40 GRTC bus shelters throughout the region.

“Accessible shelter at bus stops is vital for rider safety and comfort,” said Lina Webb Khatcheressian, a rising UR sophomore. “Specifically, we are looking at how trees and different types of shelter structures mitigate or exacerbate extreme heat.”

The team will now work with Lookingbill and Spera to collect, analyze, and share the data with RVA Rapid Transit for their annual report.

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