Session: 16-01-01: Government Agency Student Poster Competition

Paper Number: 150059

150059 - Enhancing Resilience in Low-Income Housing: Post-Pandemic Insights From the Nsf Brite Synergy Project 

Disasters like floods, hurricanes, typhoons, violent storms, earthquakes, and pandemics pose significant vulnerabilities for low-income housing communities. These challenges are combined by inadequate housing and limited access to resources, making it essential to develop resilient strategies that go beyond traditional 'hard' engineering solutions. This NSF-funded BRITE (Boosting Research Ideas for Transformative and Equitable Advances in Engineering) project aims to identify and implement viable pathways for enhancing resilience in these vulnerable communities through an integrated framework that leverages human, social, and natural capital.

We aim to operationalize resilience in low-income housing contexts by combining past research findings with insights gathered from multi-level stakeholder engagement activities. Specifically, the study seeks to: 1) Explore resilience capacities by examining the context, target populations, shocks and stresses, and well-being outcomes; 2) Identify and assess effective indicators and adaptive management mechanisms; and 3) Synthesize and analyze data to develop a comprehensive understanding of resilience functions.

We are employing a mixed-methods approach, incorporating surveys, community engagement studios, focus groups, and interviews. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and New Kensington are the primary target areas for the survey component, which seeks out low-income adults in urban areas of Pennsylvania. To assess local data against national benchmarks, part of our research mirrors the questions used in the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). The use of energy-inefficient appliances purchased from the used goods market is common, as indicated by preliminary findings, which exacerbates the problems related to energy consumption. So far, we have collected 635 survey responses statewide.

Through community engagement studios and focus groups, we have explored the awareness and decision-making processes of low-income communities in our case study areas regarding sustainability, energy efficiency, and resilience. These sessions, conducted both online and in-person, aim to align building electrification programs with the practical realities of these households. Four community engagement studios and two focus groups have been completed to date, providing valuable qualitative insights.

In addition to these methods, interviews with service providers and community members offer a deeper understanding of the challenges and needs of low-income populations. The data collected from surveys and focus groups are validated and enriched through these interviews. Early results underscore the critical need for policy interventions to regulate the market for used appliances and promote the adoption of renewable energy sources.

Our results highlight the potential of building envelop retrofits, energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy adoption to significantly enhance household resilience. However, current adoption and implementation rates among low-income households remain low, underscoring the need for targeted support and interventions. Many residents face significant challenges, particularly with heating, due to financial constraints and broken equipment. Comparing the results of our survey with national data suggests that energy burdens related to inefficient heating and cooling are common across low-income communities in Pennsylvania, highlighting the need for targeted interventions and support programs to improve housing resilience, especially during extreme weather conditions.

The next steps in the research will focus on developing a comprehensive framework for improving the resilience of low-income housing communities by combining human, social, and natural capital. We will validate the use of this proposed framework as a tool that can inform the development of scalable solutions that can be implemented in various contexts to build more resilient, sustainable urban environments.

Presenting Author: Homeira Mirhosseini Penn State University

Presenting Author Biography: Homeira Mirhosseini is a graduate student researcher with the Global Building Network since 2020 and a Ph.D. candidate in Architectural Engineering, Mechanical option. Her doctoral research focuses on the benefits of using Passive House over conventional code-based buildings in terms of energy use and Indoor Air Quality. She also investigates the implications of using modified HVAC systems in Passive House buildings. In the past, Homeira has worked on projects on community resilience, and resilience and sustainability rating systems and methods. In the past few years, she has completed several internship positions with a focus on high-performance buildings at companies such as Ramboll, Trimble, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM), and Kirksey Architecture. She holds an M.S. in Architecture from University of Arizona and a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering from Art University of Isfahan.

Authors:

Homeira Mirhosseini Penn State University
Esther Obonyo Penn State University