ABSTRACT
In 2014, the Louisiana coast was disappearing at the rate of 25 to 35 miles per year resulting in thousands of residents living closer and closer to open water in the hurricane-prone area. In 2014, aerials of Detroit, Michigan, showed more downtown parking lots than buildings and a few houses scattered among green swaths where dense neighborhoods once stood. As sea levels rise, as cities shrink, and as regional economies restructure or retract, people’s circumstances decline or grow more hazardous. In situations where residents become more vulnerable when they stay put, residential relocation has become a critical site for action. Yet, in the United States, urban and regional institutions and policies have not been designed to effectively enable timely relocation and resettlement when it becomes necessary.
