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Persistent development, population pressures, and increasing natural hazards are unequivocally changing socio-ecological systems in the coastal zone. This essay provides direction and initiates scientific dialog on the potential role of mobility in adapting to natural and social changes in coastal environments. The essay identifies four key research areas on information needed to develop coastal management actions and policies that support and recognize socio-ecological coupling in coastal areas. The proposed research includes: (1) modeling localized scenarios that illustrate the tradeoffs associated with various sea level rise adaptation, (2) assessing and consolidating mobility terminology for different applications and contexts, (3) developing solutions to synchronize the co-migration of natural environments and built infrastructure, and (4) evaluating existing or creating new transparent, equitable, and sustainable policies and incentives to support socio-ecological mobility by using case studies and social science methods to understand how people make mobility decisions in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accelerated climate change impacts may become a significant direct or indirect push factor of population displacement and migration from the vulnerability hotspots. If left to unfold organically without any management and assistance, this movement may result in resettlement to host destinations at high-risk to different hazards and/or insufficient absorption capacity. A timely dialogue on relocation as well as on strategic efforts to align the needs and dimensions of sending and receiving locations will be vital to ensure that the host communities do not exceed their carrying capacities to sustain the projected influx of people. Consequently, this paper presents the Relocation Suitability Index, a decision-support tool developed to assist in exploration of alternative host locations and their ability to assimilate the relocatees with different socio-economic and cultural needs. The said platform is user-driven and allows for active participation of stakeholders in the relocation planning process via management of variables and their weighted values indicating absorption capacities of host destinations. The proposed tabular framework supports integration of complex considerations at different spatial and temporal scales to generate the aggregate score for each alternative location. As such, it supports their comparison, ranking, and consequent dialogue on regionally sustainable distribution of relocation flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the dilemma of whether to rebuild or relocate from the areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Since disasters represent the discernible manifestation of other complex coastal hazards, they offer a window of opportunity to engage residents in the dialogue on relocation as sometimes the most effective risk reduction strategy. The following research evaluates attitudes towards relocation and willingness to consider buyout among 46 surveyed households located in highly-affected communities five months after Sandy. It also gauges perceptions of coastal risks and recovery concerns as drivers of relocation, the level of support for different adaptation strategies, and preferences related to the relocation process itself on how and where to relocate and with what type of assistance. Responses indicate that, even though residents prefer structural solutions to address coastal hazards, they are not fully opposed to the possibility of relocation mostly for personal health and safety reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many coastal urban areas are experiencing impacts of accelerated chronic and episodic flooding on the built environment and people's livelihoods and quality of life. These impacts sometimes exceed the households' adaptive and coping capacities to deal with flooding, prompting residents to consider relocation. It is unclear how urban dwellers living in flood-prone locations perceive this adaptation strategy and under what flood-driven circumstances they would consider permanently moving. This paper provides empirical evidence on relocation preferences among urban residents along the U.S. East Coast. It further explores how this decision is influenced by socioeconomic determinants, experiences with flood exposure, comprehensive concerns with flooding, and preferences for relocation destinations. We administered an online survey to 1450 residents living in flood-prone urban areas across multiple states, from New York to Florida, and analyzed the results using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results show that almost half of respondents would consider relocating due to coastal flooding, with only 13 percent declining this option. The results show that age and race, several determinants of place attachment, problem-solving capacity, and flood-related household- and community-level concerns play a significant role in willingness to relocate. • Accelerated flooding in coastal urban areas will increase the need for relocation. • Empirical evidence about coastal relocation drivers is limited. • Survey responses indicate that many urban coastal residents are willing to relocate. • Willingness to relocate is affected by age and race, and other personal concerns. • Crime, future flooding, community support, and living costs predict relocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Place attachment has been acknowledged as an important factor in mobility decision-making. However, it has not yet been explored in the context of permanent relocation in coastal communities due to accelerated flooding. The literature shows that people may be more committed to staying in place versus moving elsewhere in response to stressors if they have a stronger place attachment. Such sentiments may deter residents from considering relocation regardless of the effectiveness of this strategy in addressing the flood risk. This paper aims to develop a new approach for the spatial assessment of coastal locations based on their place attachment characteristics that will help indicate how different places may respond to the possibility of flood-driven relocation. We first conducted a structured literature review to identify the appropriate indicators of place attachment in the context of coastal flooding and population mobility. Next, we evaluated the literature's content to identify study characteristics such as methodological approach, geographic focus and attributes deemed important determinants of place attachment. Based on this analysis, we developed a coastal relocation place attachment index consisting of sixteen indicators and applied it to six coastal rural and urban locations in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The indicators were aggregated and mapped to show the spatial distribution of the relocation place attachment index in the case study locations. The results show a significant variation in place attachment attributes between rural and urban locations, with rural locations having an overall higher place attachment than urban areas. • Place attachment plays an important role in relocation decision-making. • Place attachment indicators were identified from the structured literature review. • Coastal relocation place attachment index was aggregated from 16 indicators. • Indicator values significantly differ between rural and urban locations. • Index shows that rural areas have higher place attachment than the urban locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive dissonance between the need for relocation as an adaptation strategy and the reluctance to consider this option among stakeholders may result in maladaptation in communities highly vulnerable to coastal hazards. This study presents an interactive communication tool, Coastal Relocation Leaf (CRL), designed to facilitate an understanding of the circumstances that may lead to relocation. The tool is designed to allow users to explore "what-if" scenarios, fostering further conversation about the complexities and trade-offs associated with the possibility of relocation in coastal communities. The tool is visualized using the Adobe Flash platform and refined using expert evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]