Saving vernacular architecture in the climate change era

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[],"sections":[[1,"h2",[[0,[],0,"While much of America\u2019s historic architecture is vulnerable\nto the threat of climate change, vernacular architecture is particularly at\nrisk. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Vernacular architecture is defined as being constructed from local\nmaterials to suit its native setting, indigenous climate, and specific local\nneeds. The enigmatic nature of vernacular architecture can make it complicated\nto identify, steward and protect during disaster recovery. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"During the A\u201922 educational session \u201cSaving Vernacular\nArchitecture from Climate Change,\u201d Elizabeth Blasius, an architectural historian\nat Preservation Futures, discussed individualized threats to both recognized\nhistoric architecture and vernacular architecture and examined ways that events\nof climate violence can be mitigated."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Blasius cited a quote from famous architectural photographer\nand historical preservationist Richard Nickel: \u201cGreat architecture has only two\nnatural enemies: water and stupid men.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Water, according to Blasius, refers to damage from climate\nissues. \u201cWater represents a threat that we only have limited control over,\u201d she\nsaid."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United\nStates, and it only takes one inch of rain per hour to cause cost-consuming\ndamage. Untreated water issues cause long term damage and harm a building\u2019s structure,\nin addition to displacing residents. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cStupid men\u201d refers to \u201cnot literally men in terms of gender,\u201d\nsaid Blasius, \u201cbut in the sense that there are a system of controls and policy\nthat lack intelligence and common sense, particularly in terms of natural\ndisaster recovery and mitigation around it.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"According to Blasius, disaster recovery policies and\ninsurance favor those with not only existing capital, but \u201cthe resources to\nacquire the resources.\u201d Federal prerequisites are biased against low-income\nAmericans and people of color. These policies mean mitigation isn\u2019t\nprioritized. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Citing damage done in Southeast Texas and Puerto Rico after\nHurricanes Harvey and Maria respectively, Blasius examined how vernacular\narchitecture is particularly susceptible to issues related to climate change,\nand why mitigation is the biggest thing that can be done to prevent further\ntragedies. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cIt\u0027s always the architecture that doesn\u2019t have an association\nwith a famous architect or an important cultural moment,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u0027s just the\narchitecture of the everyday that really is lost and threatened.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In 2017 Hurricane Harvey caused $125 billion in damages;\naffected 13 million people from Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee\nand Kentucky; and damaged 204,000 homes. The hurricane killed 88 people and\ntotal rainfall hit 60.5 inches in Nederland, Texas a record for a single storm\nin the continental United States. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Eighty percent of the individual victims of Hurricane Harvey\ndidn\u2019t have flood insurance, meaning individual homeowners needed to take on\ndebt to fix damages. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"This is an example of how climate change disproportionately\nimpacts poor and working-class people, said Blasius. The everyday architecture\nwhere these people historically live are generally not on national registers or\nlisted as local landmarks. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In Galveston, Texas, many buildings were built with\nhurricane mitigation in mind, said Blasius. Buildings with raised living areas\nand large window and door openings designed for airflow suffered significantly\nless damage than buildings that didn\u2019t have those mitigation features. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Separate insurance coverage for floods is needed for\nhomeowners in special flood hazard zones (SFHZ), but many of the areas impacted\nwere not in those zones. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Being in an SHFZ marks the availability of flood insurance\nfor many, and according to Blasius up to 75 percent of maps in SHFZ\u2019s are five\nyears or older when it comes to marking historical flood patterns, with more\nthan 10 percent dating back to the 1970\u2019s or 80\u2019s. This limits the\naccessibility of the recovery program. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThe areas battered by Harvey fell out of this area and thus\nwere not covered by insurance,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople without flood insurance can\napply for federal disaster relief benefits, but they come in the form of low-interest\nloans, so it forced homeowners to take out loans on properties they could not\ninhabit.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Homeowners are required to follow a variety of steps to\napply for these loans. \u201cIt\u2019s paperwork,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s often the paperwork\nthat prevents recovery funds from being delivered. It was a problem in Harvey\nand Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Katrina.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In 2017, Hurricane Maria impacted Puerto Rico and caused $102\nbillion in damages. 160,000 residents relocated to the mainland United States. Fatalities\nwere estimated at 3,000 people."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cLike Harvey, Maria was a rain and flood event, but winds\nalso caused massive damage to the power grid, including cell phone service. So\nunlike Harvey, the poorest folks had no way to communicate with each other.\nRecovery has taken even longer. Vernacular architecture is still being repaired\nin Puerto Rico,\u201d said Blasius. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Ultimately it\u2019s important to work on preservation of\nvernacular architecture to ensure the continued cultural preservation of\nunderrepresented groups. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cOnly recognizing and protecting architecture that\nrepresents a narrow idea of who\u0027s significant and what architecture is\nsignificant is certainly a threat,\u201d Blasius said. "]]]]}