Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and Kinder Institute for Urban Research will host “Redrawing Risk,” a one-day public conference May 21 examining the real-world implications of FEMA’s updated flood maps for Houston.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Baker Institute, the event is free and open to the public with in-person attendance available on campus for preregistered guests and a free livestream option for remote participants.
The updated flood maps released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in February have reshaped how risk is defined across the Houston region, changing designations for thousands of properties and raising urgent questions about insurance costs, development patterns, infrastructure planning and long-term public finance.
In response, “Redrawing Risk” will bring together leading researchers, policymakers, engineers, journalists and public officials to examine what the new risk landscape means for residents and institutions across greater Houston. The conference is spearheaded by Baker Institute fellows Bill King, former mayor of Kemah; Edward M. Emmett, former Harris County judge who led the region’s response to Hurricane Harvey in 2017; and Michelle Smirnova, director of the Kinder Institute’s Center for Housing and Neighborhoods.
“Flood risk is now one of the defining planning challenges for greater Houston,” Emmett said. “The question is no longer whether we agree with the maps, it’s how we respond to them in a way that protects people, property and public investment over time.”
“The revised maps will have an outsized impact on a flood-prone region like Houston,” King said. “We all share an interest in making Houston more resilient and storm-ready, and we can only do that by coming together across the region. This conference is about building that shared understanding and moving toward a more coordinated approach.”
“These updated flood maps have direct implications for families, neighborhoods and schools across our region,” Smirnova said. “Our goal is to bring together technical experts, community leaders and other key stakeholders so we can better understand what’s changing, what the impacts of these changes are for different populations and how we may respond in a coordinated and effective way.”
Conference sessions will include:
- Inside the Modeling: How FEMA Flood Maps Are Built (9:15 a.m.)
An in-depth look at the scientific methods behind FEMA’s updated flood risk modeling, including rainfall data, hydrology and development assumptions. Panelists will explain how risk is calculated and what the maps do and do not capture. - By the Block: Touring Houston’s New Flood Maps (10 a.m.)
A visual, neighborhood-level walkthrough of how flood risk designations have shifted across greater Houston, translating technical changes into local impacts. - Rethinking Regional Flood Governance (11:45 a.m.)
A policy discussion on whether Houston’s fragmented flood control system is sufficient for the scale of current and future risk. - Designing for the New Risk Map (1 p.m.)
A conversation on how updated flood designations may reshape land use, real estate markets, infrastructure investment and household decision-making. - The Impact of Housing Affordability (2 p.m.)
An examination of how flood risk affects homeowners and renters, from challenges around affordability and displacement, to how and whether families, and those organizations that support them are prepared and can respond. - The Price of Risk: Flood Maps and Public Finance (3:30 p.m.)
A discussion of how changing risk assessments may influence municipal finance, bond markets and long-term infrastructure planning.
The conference will feature a roster of academics, policymakers, engineers, journalists and private sector practitioners, including;
- David M. Satterfield — director, Baker Institute
- Bill King — fellow in public finance, Baker Institute
- Phil Bedient — the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering; director, Rice’s SSPEED Center
- Dominic Boyer — professor of anthropology, Rice
- Edward M. Emmett — fellow in energy and transportation policy, Baker Institute
- Russ Poppe — first assistant engineer, Fort Bend County; former director, Harris County Flood Control District
- Yulin Cheng — investigative reporter, Houston Chronicle
- Dennis Paul — Texas state Representative, 129th District (R-Houston)
- James R. Elliott — professor of sociology, Rice; co-director, Rice’s Center for Coastal Futures and Adaptive Resilience
- Harry Masterson — managing director, Ember Real Estate Investment and Development
- Andy Palermo — managing senior principal, EHRA Engineering
- Michelle Smirnova — associate professor of sociology, Rice; director, Kinder Institute’s Center for Housing and Neighborhoods
- Debolina Banerjee — research analyst, Kinder Institute
- Erin Baumgartner — director, Kinder Institute’s Houston Education Research Consortium
- Dan Potter — director, Kinder Institute’s Houston Population Research Center
- Stephen Averill Sherman — research scientist, Kinder Institute
- John Diamond — director, Baker Institute’s Center for Tax and Budget Policy
Registration details and the full agenda are available through the Baker Institute and Kinder Institute websites.