Rachel Meltzer

Meltzer will consider the physical and economic transformations in neighborhoods caused by extreme climate events. She will examine the physical disrepair and reinvestment in housing and the ensuing population changes in neighborhoods hit hard by Hurricanes Sandy and Harvey in New York City and Harris County. She will draw on a consumer reference dataset that allows investigators to track residents across addresses over time, combining it with rich information on property structure and tenure characteristics, and physical repair and investments, as well as data about flood zone boundaries and variation in actual storm inundation available from FEMA.