Spatial Analysis of Sustainability and Climate Vulnerabilities in Savannah, GA Using SDGs
Dr. Jairo Garcia, CEO, Urban Climate Nexus - Georgia Tech Professor of Climate Policies and Sustainable Cities, RCE Greater Atlanta
9th Americas RCE Regional Meeting
13 & 14 October, 2020
2. This class is the capstone course
for the Sustainable Cities minor at
Georgia Tech
This project aimed to analyze
climate and social vulnerabilities
in the City of Savannah, and to
then recommend sustainable
solutions for those vulnerabilities.
Scope, Introduction, and Purpose of Project
City of Savannah. Copyright under Fair Use Section 107 of
the Copyright Act
https://www.savannahga.gov/546/Business-Alcohol-
Regulations.
3. Dr. Jairo Garcia is an expert in
sustainable urban development,
carbon mitigation and climate
adaptation and resilience. His
experience includes performing
spatial data analysis for ecological
assessments and to identify climate
vulnerabilities and risks analysis. Dr.
Garcia is the former Director of
Climate Policies and Renewables
with the City of Atlanta. Dr. Garcia
received the Individual Climate
Leadership Award by the EPA in
2017. This award recognized Dr.
Garcia’s leadership in addressing
climate change and engaging
organization, peers, and partners.
Class Instructors
Dr. Jairo Garcia
Class Professor
Elena Oertel
Teaching Assistant
I am a graduate student in the
Master of City and Regional
Planning program at Georgia
Institute of Technology. I am
currently serving as a graduate
teaching assistant under Jairo
Garcia for the Sustainable Cities
Studio. My professional goals
and aspirations are to connect
and create more sustainable
communities that are resilient to
the current environmental
pressures.
4. Our Community Partners
Dr. Mildred McClain
Executive Director of the
Harambee House
Savannah, GA
Nick Deffley
Director of Sustainability
Savannah, GA
Michael MacMiller Jr.
Partnership for Southern Equity
Just Energy Student and Youth
Organizer
Atlanta, GA
5. The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development introduced the SDGs in
2015 to make “an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in
a global partnership.”
The 17 SDGs provide specific goals with measurable outcomes concerning the three
pillars of sustainability, and their prevalence at the global level.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
At the core of this class and Vulnerability
Assessment are the 17 SDGs.
Georgia Tech is integrating the SDGs
across the institute through
implementation of the Serve-Learn-
Sustain program, which this studio is a
part of.
(United Nations, 2020)
7. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is “a
computer system that analyzes and displays
geographically referenced information. It
uses data that is attached to a unique
location” (USGS, 2020, p. 1).
Data which are tied to a unique location are
known as spatial data. GIS is the type of
digital tools that are used to collect, manage,
analyze, and visualize spatial data.
GIS can be used to spatially analyze climate
vulnerabilities at national, state, and various
local levels, making it useful tool in
completing Climate Vulnerability
Assessments.
Geographic Information Systems
9. Design Team
Siddharth Kotapati
Major: Computer Engineering
Minor: Computing Intelligence
and Sustainable Cities
Research areas in CS education
and machine learning
Maya Neal
Major: Architecture
Minor: Sustainable Cities
Concentrations in Sustainable and
Computational Design
Grace Rigsbee
Major: Literature, Media, and
Communications
Minor: Sustainable Cities
In the thread science, technology,
culture, and social justice
Yasamin
Khorashahi
Major: Public Policy
Minor: Sustainable Cities
Research areas in local
government, urban analytics, and
gender
10. ● Design and implementation of consistent branding of the project
○ Creating a logo
○ Consistency in design across all 3 deliverables: final report, website, and
poster
○ Integration of existing information from the City of Savannah and our
research partners
● Guidance for interdisciplinary GIS teams
○ Data management, organization, and visualization
● Visual Representations of the recommended solutions for
environment, social equity, and economic vulnerablities
Role of the Design Team
11. Our Website and GIS Spatial Analysis
https://cpcapstone2020.wixsite.com/mysite
13. Environmental Team
Clara Bouret
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor: Sustainable Cities
Experience in drafting softwares and
project management
David Hogan
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor: Sustainable Cities
Focus in Transportation and Urban
Planning. Research in Active
Transportation asset management
Abhay Iyer
Major: Chemical Engineering
Minor: Sustainable Cities
Research on effects of humidity on
Sandgrouse feather structure
Steven Aceto
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor: Sustainable Cities
Experience in Green Building
Certification Policy and Residential
Construction
14. Environmental Vulnerabilities Explored in Savannah
Flooding (SDG 13)
• 5 ft flood above local high tide expected to occur by 2080 (Surging Seas, 2016)
• Smart Sea Level Sensors: existing network of sensors to collect sea level data (Cobb
et al. 2020)
Groundwater/drinking water pollution (SDG 6)
• Savannah River and Floridan Aquifer main water sources
• Map sourced from SAGIS outlines areas of the city that are more susceptible to
groundwater pollution (SAGIS, 2020)
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Air Quality (SDG 12 and 13)
• MTCO2e emissions by factories surrounding Savannah (EPA, 2018)
Urban Heat Island (SDG 13)
• Built urban environment leads to higher than normal temperatures in cities
(Fragomeni, 2019)
Tree Canopy Cover (SDG 11)
• Higher amounts of urban tree canopy have been linked with a lower heat island effect
in cities (U.S. Forest Service, 2019)
15. Spatial Comparison of Vulnerabilities
Figure 3: Overlapping Projected Flooding and
Percentage Poverty by zip code
Figure 4: Overlapping Projected Flooding and
Percentage Black or African American Population
16. • Marginalized communities disproportionately located in areas more
susceptible to flooding due to sea level rise
• Communities disregarded from conversation regarding policies and
their needs
• Areas with high poverty by zip code
• Unable to afford repair costs for flooding damages
• Limited evacuation during natural disasters because of poor communications
system and limited transportation
• Job security
• Possible eviction for renters
Problems Identified:
17. Existing Savannah Policies
• 2012 Flood Mitigation Plan which lists 26 actions to improve the city’s
flood preparedness
Solutions from Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Largest port in Europe; history of flooding which has led to the
development of flood prevention strategies
• Engineering Solutions
• Advanced development of complex flood prevention
infrastructure, such as the Maeslantkering
• Acts as a storm surge barrier protecting the main waterway
• Smaller-scale development of “water squares” in underserved
urban neighborhoods
• Retention ponds that relieve pressure on drainage systems
• Function as public spaces for citizens to gather when dry
• Education Solutions
• Initiative to educate citizens on the effects of climate change
• Shifted public mindset to view climate change as an
opportunity for growth rather than viewing it as a threat
Solutions in Savannah and Rotterdam
Figure 5. Water Square in Rotterdam,
Netherlands (top) and rendering of square
retaining excess water (bottom) (Keeton, 2014)
18. • Educate (Rotterdam, Muggah, 2019)
• Educate marginalized communities in Savannah on flood risk in
their area
• Ensure communities know and understand the city’s evacuation
and early-warning protocols
• Teach how current climate change leads to environmental
impacts, something Rotterdam has seen success in
• Engineer (Rotterdam, Kimmerlma & Haner, 2017)
• Invest in construction of more flood-prevention infrastructure
• Sea walls, flood gates, retention ponds, water squares,
drainage pumps, etc.
• Ex. the Maeslantkering storm surge barrier in Rotterdam
• Implement (Krause & Reeves, 2017)
• Initiate programs to teach and subsidize the cost of flood-proofing
older homes in high-risk areas
• Expand flood-recovery assistance to households who need it most
Recommendations for Savannah
Figure 6. Flooding in Savannah
following Tropical Storm Irma
(FOX28 Media, 2017)
Figure 7. Maeslantkering in
Rotterdam that acts as storm
surge barrier protection (VIR,
2016)
19. Social-Equity Team
John “JB”
Butler
Major: 5th Year
Industrial Engineering
Minor: Sustainable
Cities
Jamie
Rosenblum
Major: 2nd year
Industrial Engineering
Minor: Sustainable
Cities
Graham
Stokes
Major: 3rd year Civil
Engineering
Minor: Sustainable
Cities
Sarah Kate
Carpenter
Major: 5th year
Mechanical
Engineering
Minor: Sustainable
Cities
20. Food Insecurity (SDG 2, 3)
• Percent of Population in Food
Deserts
• Grocery Stores
• Percent of Population Receiving
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program)
Crime (SDG 3)
• Concentration of Crime by Precinct
Education (SDG 4, 10)
• Public School Performance
(College and Career Ready
Performance Index)
Social Vulnerabilities and Corresponding Maps
Housing Affordability (SDG 1,
11)
● Percentage of Population
Burdened
Flood Evacuation (SDG 11, 13)
● Locations of Public Libraries
Race and Ethnicity (SDG 10)
● Percentage of Black Residents
in each Census Tract
21. Correlations:
● Greater housing burden, higher unemployment rates, greater percentage of Black residents
● Less housing burden, lower unemployment rates, greater percentage of White residents
● Areas that are at least 85% White never experienced the worst cases of housing burden (greater than 53%) or
unemployment rates (greater than 15%).
Percent Population Black or
African American
Unemployment Rate Households Burdened Groundwater Pollution Risk
Analysis of Maps
22. The Problem:
The African American community in downtown Savannah, Georgia has the highest rates of housing burden
and unemployment in an area that is prone to groundwater pollution.
Savannah’s Current Actions:
Housing:
● Establishment of Savannah Affordable Housing Fund finances the development of affordable housing
units as well as loan assistance.
● Specific actions and goals from the Assessment of fair housing
Unemployment:
● Employ Georgia by the Department of Labor helps job seekers find work (GDOL, n.d.)
Groundwater Contamination:
● Savannah River Site Groundwater Management Program protects, monitors, and remediates the use
of groundwater (SRS, 2016)
Racial Inequity:
● During a Black Lives Matter protest, Mayor Johnson announced a task force that would be dedicated
to racial bias and inequities and work on solving those issues within the city (Jones, 2020)
Another City’s Solution:
● Atlanta, Georgia: “Westside Works is a long-term neighborhood program focused on creating employment
opportunities and job training for residents of the Westside community” (Westside Works, n.d.)
23. ● Tax break incentives for landlords
who provide a certain percentage
of affordable units (ex. St. Paul,
Minnesota) (Walsh, 2019).
● Ensure access to childcare
subsidy and reducing child care
subsidy copayments (ex.
Massachusetts)
● Provide eviction-prevention
assistance to families with rental
arrearages (ex. Massachusetts)
(Children’s Healthwatch, 2019,
p.2).
● Continue to regularly monitor
groundwater contaminant levels
Our Recommendations
● Use groundwater in the most
efficient and sustainable manner
for urban water-supply
● Have an emergency plan in the
event of contamination as well as
alternative water sources
● Maintain an adaptive
management strategy as the
groundwater system and urban
environment changes over time
(ex. strategies outlined by the
International Association of
Hydrogeologists) (IAH, 2015).
● Employment programs focused
on creating employment
opportunities and job training for
residents (ex. Atlanta’s Westside
Works)(Westside Works, n.d.)
● Create a racial equity task force
similar in structure to Proud
Savannah (savannahga, 2020)
Westside Works participant
(Westside Works, n.d.)
24. Max Wittling
Major: Economics
Minor: Sustainable Cities, Certificate of
Finance
Experience in urban housing, real estate
development, statistical modeling
Mathias Zacarias
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor: German and Sustainable Cities
Research experience in affordable
housing and unemployment
Dakarai Cutts
Major: Economics/Mechanical
Engineering
Minor: Sustainable Cities
Experience in real estate development,
economic development research, and lean
manufacturing
Economic Team
25. • Unemployment (SDG 8):
• Unemployment map by Census Tract (ARC, 2017).
• Poverty (SDG 1):
• Poverty map by ZIP code (ARC, 2017).
• Flood Insurance (SDG 11 & 13):
• FDPO - Map of Increased and Decreased Need for
Flood Insurance (Chatham County Gov, 2018).
• Small Businesses (SDG 8):
• Directory of businesses of all sizes (City of
Savannah, 2020).
• Energy Burden (SDG 7):
• Greenlink Analytics (Greenlink, 2020) and Georgia
Power (GP, 2020) energy consumption and burden.
Economic Vulnerabilities to
Explore in Savannah
Figure 1. Map of Poverty Status by Zip Code (ARC, 2017)
Figure 2. Map of variances in Insurance Need (NFIP, 2013)
26. • Three Maps
• Percentage of All Business By Neighborhood
• Projected Flooding 5 Ft. Above High Tide
• Increased/Decreased Need for Flood
Insurance
• Problem Identified
• “Areas of high business density within the
city of Savannah are experiencing varying
degrees of flooding risk”
• Three Areas of Analysis
• Area 1 (purple circle): Historic District Area
• Compounded fluvial/pluvial flooding
• Area 2 (orange circle): Oakdale/Highland
Park/Oakhurst Area
• Compounded local pluvial flooding.
• Area 3 (yellow circle): Wilshire
Estates/Windsor Forest Area
• Neighboring flooding issues.
Analysis & Problem Identified
Figure 5. Map of the City of Savannah with
highlighted areas of analysis.
27. ● SCORE Savannah Chapter
● FEMA
● Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission
● Smart Sea Level Project
● “Green Infrastructure to Green Jobs” Initiative
Action Taken by Other Cities
Actions by and within the city of Savannah
● New York City: The BIG U Proposal
● Working to safeguard Lower Manhattan’s critical infrastructure and
services, bolster the protection of neighbourhoods, and upgrade buildings
to better withstand flooding and hurricanes
● New Orleans Master Plan
● Master Plan that includes 124 projects that are building or maintaining over
800 square miles of land.
○ Projects expected to reduce damage by $8.3 billion annually by year
50,this pays for itself three times over, more than $150 billion saved over
the next 50 years
Figure 7. The “BIG U” schematic
(Quirk, 2014).
28. The city of Savannah should consider pursuing the following
initiatives to reduce Small Business climate vulnerability:
● Community-led, Collaborative Mitigation Measures
○ Developing a community-led program aiming to
engage small business owners, similar to the
“Green Infrastructure to Green Jobs”
Initiative(SSDN, 2019).
● Information in Usable, Easily Accessible Formats
○ Developing a City of Savannah Flood Response
Toolkit akin to the existing Georgia Department of
Natural Resources (GADNR, 2015) toolkit.
● Residential Housing Measures Implementation
○ Implement existing residential housing protection
to small businesses when appropriate, similar to
Gulf Coast cities’ initiatives(Lowlander, 2017).
● Benefit-Cost Analysis
○ Conduct a thorough benefit-cost analysis before
implementing projects.
Proposal
Figure 8. Savannah community
members training in landscaping
design(SSDN, 2019).
29. ● Strong correlation between marginalized communities that live along the two
rivers likely to experience high levels of flooding in the coming decades.
● Black and low-income communities were the most at-risk for negative climate
effects in housing affordability, unemployment, groundwater contamination, and
racial equity.
● Areas with high business density experience high vulnerability to floods.
Summary of Findings
30. For your time, expertise, &
commitment to climate change and
sustainability
Thank you!
31. City of Savannah (2020). Office of Sustainability. Retrieved from https://www.savannahga.gov/507/Office-of-Sustainability.
City of Savannah (2016). Sustainability assessment. Retrieved from https://www.savannahga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9917/SUSTAINABLE-SAVANNAH-VIII-FINAL-
Singles?bidId=.
Sustainable Cities Capstone (2019). Climate vulnerability assessment: Downtown ATL. Retrieved from https://cpcapstone2019.wixsite.com/mysite/class-info.
United Nations (2020). Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs
Urban Land Institute (2018). Savannah Civic Center Redevelopment Report. Retrieved from https://www.savannahga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17976.
USGS. (2019). What is a geographic information system (GIS)? Retrieved July 20, 2020, from https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/whata-geographic-information-system-gis?qt-
news_science_product=0
References - Design
32. Cobb, K., Clark, R., Matthews, R., & Deffley, N. Smart Sea Level Sensors in Chatham County. Smart Sea Level Sensors in
Chatham County. Retrieved 21 May 2020, from https://www.sealevelsensors.org/.
Deffley, N., Helmholdt, A., & Roberts, A. (2016). Sustainability Assessment [Ebook]. City of Savannah. Retrieved 19 May 2020,
from https://www.savannahga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9917/SUSTAINABLE-SAVANNAH-VIII-FINAL-Singles?bidId=.
Fragomeni, M. B. (2019). When Cities Plan For Heat: A Collaborative Framework to Integrate
Planning and Climate [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. The University of Georgia.
FOX 28 MEDIA. (2017, September 11). Tropical Storm Irma hits Savannah area. Bakersfield Now KBAK. https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/nation-world/gallery-tropical-storm-irma-hits-the-area
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Large Facilities. (2018). Retrieved June 25, 2020, from https://ghgdata.epa.gov/ghgp/main.do
Groundwater Pollution. Data-sagis.opendata.arcgis.com. (2020). Retrieved 15 May 2020, from
https://data-sagis.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/groundwater-pollution.
Krueger, E., & Jordan, N. (2014). Preserving Water Quality in the Savannah River. Retrieved May 22, 2020, from
https://s3.amazonaws.com/tnc-craft/library/Savannah-Potable-White-Paper-Final-091614.pdf?mtime=20180822151837
Surging Seas: Risk Zone Map. (2016). Retrieved from
https://ss2.climatecentral.org/#11/32.0212/-81.0976?show=property&projections=0-K14_RCP85-SLR&level=1&unit=fee
t&pois=hide
Sustainable Cities Capstone Fall 2019, & Central Atlanta Progress. (2019). Mapping. Retrieved May 21, 2020, from
https://cpcapstone2019.wixsite.com/mysite/mapping-1
The Trust for Public Land. (2020, May 13). Urban heat island severity for U.S. cities. ArcGIS
Online. https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=1b6cad6dd5854d2aa3d215a39a4d372d
Trent, V. P. (1992). Groundwater Pollution Susceptibility Map of Georgia. Hydrologic Atlas 20.
doi:http://www.georgiaplanning.com/documents/EnvironmentalPlanning/GroundwaterMethod1992.pdf
U.S. Forest Service. (2019, December 6). USFS Cartography 2016 Tree Canopy Cover CONUS.
ArcGIS Online.
https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=32c888eac6bd41b5b17f51d9d8175969
References - Environment
33. References - Equity
About Homelessness. (2020, May 6). Retrieved from https://www.homelessauthority.org/about-homelessness/
Areavibes. (n.d.). Savannah, GA Crime. Retrieved from https://www.areavibes.com/savannah-ga/crime/
Chatham County-Savannah Comprehensive Plan. (2016).
City of Savannah. (2016). Sustainability Assessment. Retrieved from
http://www.savannahga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9917/SUSTAINABLE-SAVANNAH-VIII-FINAL-Singles?bidId=
CP Capstone 2019. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://cpcapstone2019.wixsite.com/mysite/proposed-solutions
Georgia School Reports. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://schoolgrades.georgia.gov/chatham-county
Groeger, L., Waldman, A., & Eads, D. (2018, October 16). Miseducation. Retrieved from https://projects.propublica.org/miseducation/district/1301020
Mosaic Community Planning. (2017). City of Savannah Assessment of Fair Housing. Retrieved from
https://www.savannahga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10596/City-of-Savannah-Assessment-of-Fair-Housing?bidId=
Ray, B. (2019, March 9). Growth of food deserts hits home for some Savannah communities. Savannah Now. Retrieved from
https://www.savannahnow.com/news/20190309/growth-of-food-deserts-hits-home-for-some-savannah-communities
The Way Home. (2020) Retrieved from
https://www.homelessauthority.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Chatham-County-CoC_The-Way-Home-Five-Year-Plan-to-Address-Homelessness_30JUL19-
_R
educed.pdf
USDA. (n.d.). Go to the Atlas. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas.aspx
Savannah, GA Crime Rates. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2020, from https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ga/savannah/crim
34. References - Economics
American Community Survey. (2018). ACS Poverty Status Variables-Boundaries. Retrieved from
https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=0e468b75bca545ee8dc4b039cbb5aff6
Atlanta Regional Commission. (2017). Unemployment (by Zip Code) 2017. Retrieved from
https://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/GARC::unemployment-by-zip-code-2017
Chatham County Goverment (2018). FDPO - Preliminary Flood Zones. Retrieved from
https://chathamcountyga.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=57fe36575d034a00af29fb4e02447a7b
City of Savannah (2016). A Sustainability Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=0e468b75bca545ee8dc4b039cbb5aff6
City of Savannah. (2020). Directory of Registered Businesses.
National Flood Insurance Program. (2013). Unincorporated Chatham County Flood Insurance Claim Properties in Relationship to Drainage Improvement Properties
and
Nuisance Flood Areas. Retrieved from https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/a7a94d2a/files/uploaded/Flood%20Zone%20Map.pdf
Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce. (2020). Directory of Members.
Sustainable Cities Capstone (2019). Climate vulnerability assessment: Downtown ATL. Retrieved from https://cpcapstone2019.wixsite.com/mysite/class-info
U.S. Department of Energy. (2016). Low-Income Energy Affordability Tool. Retrieved from https://www.energy.gov/eere/slsc/maps/lead-tool
