Climate Vulnerability & Socio-Economic Risk Analysis
A composite score built from four climate and social indicators, each normalized to 0–100 and weighted by impact severity.
Based on Heat Severity data. High scores indicate areas with intense Urban Heat Island effects, compounding risk for vulnerable residents.
Percentage of the tract within FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas, indicating severe vulnerability to heavy precipitation and coastal surges.
Inverted Tree Canopy data. High scores indicate a lack of cooling shade and natural drainage, exacerbating both heat and flooding risks.
To maintain a robust metric, the four chosen indicators represent Baltimore's dominant climate hazard pathways with consistent, authoritative, tract-level data available publicly. Adding too many highly correlated indicators would dilute the primary signals of heat and flood risk.
Scores are relative to Baltimore only — a "Very Low" score here doesn't mean low risk nationally. Data reflects 2020 census boundaries and recent socioeconomic estimates. Flood percentages use recent FEMA boundaries, but ongoing map amendments may alter localized risk profiles.
This project's framework and visualization style were inspired by the work of Jack Fallon. His methodology for Urban Climate Vulnerability provided the foundation for this Baltimore-specific implementation.