Coastal cities that face similar climate risks often aren't geographic neighbors, but they may have more to learn from each other than from the cities nearby. Building on research by Urban Ocean Lab, we explored Census, CDC, and NOAA data on U.S. coastal cities to find groups with shared socio-demographic profiles and similar exposure to climate risk.

In a short research and design sprint, we produced a set of materials for “Connected by Water,” part of Urban Ocean Lab’s Floodlines event at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn during NYC Climate Week. Two large printed posters looked at the data in different ways. A stacked grid map shows how multiple climate risk factors layer on top of each other for communities across the country. A geographic network map shows each city’s non-spatial neighbors, the cities it shares a profile with regardless of distance. The interactive web tool lets people explore those connections and the data behind them, both as a network diagram and on a map. A brochure brought together pieces of all of these as a takeaway for attendees. The work is a starting point for continued research on how coastal cities can learn from each other.