2025 Coastal Resilience Program Competition Results
The National Sea Law Grant Center awarded two institutions a two-year research grant through its 2025 Coastal Resilience Program competition. The Law Center received eleven full proposals that went through a rigorous evaluation process involving written peer reviewers and technical review panelists. Out of the eleven full proposals received, the following were awarded:
Institution: University of Virginia
Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Andrews
Project Title: Fighting the Good Fight: An Evaluation of the “Fight the Flood” Program’s Efficacy in Increasing Coastal Resilience for Property Owners and Businesses in Virginia’s Middle Peninsula
Project Description: This project will provide a retrospective, mixed-methods evaluation of the effectiveness of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission's "Fight the Flood" Program, with particular attention to participant outcomes, policy context, and public understanding of resilience practices. It will also explore the regulatory challenges that were overcome in building the program to better understand how legal constraints were navigated. The research team will conduct a retrospective policy analysis, economic evaluation, community survey, and stakeholder interviews to assess policy effectiveness and legal hurdles encountered in establishing the program. The evaluation will produce a publicly accessible summary report, policy briefs, and direct presentations to target audiences.
Institution: Cornell University
Principal Investigator: Brian Rahm
Project Title: Strengthening Flood Resilience Through Local Policy: Assessing Adoption and Barriers to Enhanced Floodplain Standards in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie Communities
Project Description: The project will assess how shoreline municipalities along Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are adopting and implementing the NYSDEC Model Local Law for Flood Damage Prevention, and evaluate the extent to which these laws incorporate enhanced flood resilience measures. Guided by two central research questions focused on adoption patterns and the factors influencing effectiveness, the project will establish a comprehensive baseline of floodplain management laws across approximately 70 municipalities, identifying strengths, gaps, and deviations. Using a two-phase approach, Phase I will apply a refined assessment framework to systematically evaluate local ordinances, while Phase II will conduct in-depth reviews and interviews in 10 selected communities to better understand implementation challenges, enabling factors, and real-world impacts. The project will also analyze related ordinances, such as stormwater and erosion control, and incorporate zoning data to provide a more holistic view of local flood resilience strategies. Findings will be synthesized into actionable insights, GIS-based visualizations, and practical tools to support state agencies and regional partners, while also contributing to academic research and policy guidance aimed at strengthening local flood risk reduction efforts.
