In 2004, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne, all major hurricanes, wreaked havoc across large swaths of Florida, including the Treasure Coast region along Florida’s Atlantic shores, where St. Lucie County lies. Damaging winds and floods earned Florida the nickname “the Plywood State,” and the pace and severity of these flooding and storm events have only increased. Historically disinvested communities tend to be less prepared and harder hit by these disasters while facing more difficult recoveries, due to the legacies of institutional disinvestment and discriminatory policies. St. Lucie County is no exception. Majority-Black Ft. Pierce, especially in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, is seeing the effects of flooding against a backdrop of increased development through affordability issues and inadequate infrastructure.

Smart Growth America partnered with Incubate Neighborhood Center, a community-based organization seeking to address systematic and institutionalized forms of racism, in the Ft. Pierce area to learn from community residents, business owners, government officials, and regional resilience partners about their experiences with flooding. The resulting video, “Ft. Pierce on the frontlines: Solutions for flooding and resilience,” highlights the need for equitable and climate-resilient land use and economic development policies in the region.

In 2023, Atlanta had its second-hottest year in almost a century. Largely driven by climate change, Atlanta and other cities across the country are experiencing extreme heat events that come more frequently, more intensely, and more dangerously. Heat-related deaths have been increasing year-over-year, with over 2,300 recorded in 2023—a 161% increase from 2010. It’s historically disinvested communities that feel the heat the most, thanks to the effects of redlining and residential segregation, institutional disinvestment, and widespread health disparities.

In areas of southern Atlanta, where much of the city’s Black population is concentrated, that manifests as high asthma rates, unaffordable energy bills, and an unbearable heat island effect amplified by pavement and a lack of green space. The Partnership for Southern Equity and Smart Growth America learned from community residents, advocates, thought leaders, and policy leaders about their lived experiences with extreme heat and their hopes for a safe, prosperous, and healthy Atlanta. This video highlights community voices on the need for policy and advocacy strategies that create safer and more accessible infrastructure.