New Jersey Institute of Technology Digital Commons @ NJIT Dissertations Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fall 2017 Public perceptions of the functions of natural and engineered infrastructure in coastal hazards mitigation: the cases of two communities in the Raritan bayshore, New Jersey Jaime D. Ewalt Gray New Jersey Institute of Technology Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/dissertations Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Gray, Jaime D. Ewalt, "Public perceptions of the functions of natural and engineered infrastructure in coastal hazards mitigation: the cases of two communities in the Raritan bayshore, New Jersey" (2017). Dissertations. 14. https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/dissertations/14 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at Digital Commons @ NJIT. 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Please Note: The author retains the copyright while the New Jersey Institute of Technology reserves the right to distribute this thesis or dissertation Printing note: If you do not wish to print this page, then select “Pages from: first page # to: last page #” on the print dialog screen The Van Houten library has removed some of the personal information and all signatures from the approval page and biographical sketches of theses and dissertations in order to protect the identity of NJIT graduates and faculty. ABSTRACT PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF THE FUNCTIONS OF NATURAL AND ENGINEERED INFRASTRUCTURE IN COASTAL HAZARDS MITIGATION: THE CASES OF TWO COMMUNITIES IN THE RARITAN BAYSHORE, NEW JERSEY by Jaime D. Ewalt Gray Emerging United States (U.S.) federal policies call for more comprehensive integration of both engineered and natural infrastructure in mitigating coastal hazards. For such policies to be effectively implemented, the mitigation functions of and relationship between natural infrastructure and engineered infrastructure must be understood and their integrated use accepted by affected actors, especially residents living in at-risk coastal communities. Little is known about public perceptions of the functions of engineered and natural infrastructure in coastal hazard mitigation and the interactions between these two types of infrastructure. This study analyzes perceptions based on semi-structured interviews of 14 residents in Laurence Harbor, Middlesex County and 13 residents in Union Beach, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Interview questions solicit participants’ awareness and perceptions of how the two types of infrastructure affect the hazards of flooding, erosion, and storms. Photographs of engineered and natural infrastructure in each community are shown to prompt participants’ comments about the functions and possible interactions between the two types of infrastructure. Thematic content analysis is used to analyze these interviews to understand participants’ awareness and perceptions of both types of infrastructure and their preferences for using each type of infrastructure in mitigating coastal hazards. Laurence Harbor and Union Beach are located on the shore of Raritan Bay, New Jersey and were significantly impacted by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The two communities have similar mitigation infrastructure but different experiences with coastal hazards: flooding is the primary hazard in Union Beach and erosion is the major concern in Laurence Harbor. This study finds that participants’ awareness and perceptions differ as a result of their local experiences with coastal hazards. Participants in Laurence Harbor are more aware of existing local mitigation infrastructure than are participants in Union Beach. Perceptions of the functions of both types of infrastructure of participants in Laurence Harbor are also more similar to the assessments of scientists and engineers than are the perceptions of participants in Union Beach. Participants’ preferences for the use of specific type of infrastructure are related to their perceptions about the ability of each type of infrastructure to mitigate coastal hazards. The ancillary benefits of each infrastructure type, such as aesthetics, recreation, and ecological value, are also related to the preferences for participants in Laurence Harbor. Although participants broadly understand the functions of the two types of mitigation infrastructure, they are less aware of the interactions between them. Education and outreach should be targeted to improve the public understanding of the ways that natural and engineered infrastructure interact in coastal hazard mitigation. Results of this study could improve the governance process of coastal hazard mitigation by informing all governance actors about the value of drawing on residents’ current knowledge of local mitigation infrastructure. PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF THE FUNCTIONS OF NATURAL AND ENGINEERED INFRASTRUCTURE IN COASTAL HAZARDS MITIGATION: THE CASES OF TWO COMMUNITIES IN THE RARITAN BAYSHORE, NEW JERSEY by Jaime D. Ewalt Gray A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science January 2017 COPYRIGHT © 2017 by Jaime D. Gray ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Author: Jaime D. Ewalt Gray Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Date: January 2017 Graduate and Undergraduate Education: • Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, 2017 • Master of Science in Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 2003 • Bachelor of Science in Biology and Biochemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 1998 Major: Environmental Science Publications: Sathish Rajamani, Moacir Torres, Vanessa Falcao, Jaime Ewalt Gray, Daniel A. Coury, Pio Colepicolo, and Richard Sayre (2014) “Noninvasive Evaluation of Heavy Metal Uptake and Storage in Microalgae Using a Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer-Based Heavy Metal Biosensor.” Plant Physiology, 164 (2), 1059-1067 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1104/pp.113.229765 David J. Hess, David A. Banks, Bob Darrow, Joseph Datko, Jaime D. Ewalt, Rebecca Gresh, Matthew Hoffmann, Anthony Sarkis, and Logan D.A. Williams. (2010) “Building Clean-Energy Industries and Green Jobs: Policy Innovations at the State and Local Government Level.” Research Report. Science and Technology Studies Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. www.davidjhess.org/greening-of- economic-development.html iv This dissertation is dedicated to my husband, John, who has generously supported and encouraged me in so many ways. John has made many sacrifices and taken on much responsibility to ensure that I could focus on this research. He has been a source of inspiration and a sounding board. Over the years, he has listened to my many ideas and research questions and engaged in fruitful discussions. I thank him for standing by me and imparting wisdom and strength to address the challenges and obstacles in the path to this dissertation. Here’s to a new chapter in our lives! This dissertation is also dedicated to my parents, Marjorie, Jim and Debbie Ewalt, Tom Gealey, and Richard and Melinda Gray, and my brother, Scott, who have always believed in me and held me up through this very long process. I would not have been able to achieve this personal goal without my family’s support, extreme patience, and faith. And lastly, I dedicate this dissertation to the constantly curious, those that challenge the status quo, and those that work to raise awareness to the interconnections between our social, economic, political, technical, and environmental decisions. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the dedication of and direction given by Dr. Zeyuan Qiu, my dissertation advisor, in formulating this research and guiding me through the process. His commitment and unwavering support over the past few years was essential in producing this dissertation. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Karen O'Neill, the co-chair of my dissertation committee, who dedicated so much time, passion, and energy to reviewing the research and data. She provided such wisdom based on her expertise. I want to thank her for her constant encouragement and guidance as the research was being conducting and data analyzed. I would also like to thank my committee members, Drs. Karen Franck, Maurie Cohen, and Nancy Jackson, for dedicating the time to serve on the dissertation committee and supporting the research agenda. I would like to thank Dr. Jackson for her assistance in navigating the Environmental Science