In the wake of escalating climate crises, where the resilience of homes across the United States is facing heightened scrutiny, Winston-Salem has emerged as a notable example, ranking among the top five most climate-resilient cities out of 96.
USA TODAY Homefront, the publication’s homeowner assistance resource, determined the climate resilience of different cities across the U.S. to provide guidance for individuals considering relocation, aiming to assess the comparative level of climate risk across different areas.
Winston-Salem secured the fifth spot thanks to several key factors, such as the city’s Urban Forestry Program, favorable FEMA Risk Index score, and advantageous geographic positioning.
“I don’t think this is a measure of saying that Winston-Salem could just sit back and relax. But I do think it means that we have the advantages that Winston-Salem has by virtue of its location and some of the investments the city has made, compared to other areas,” Stan Meiburg, the executive director of the Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability at Wake Forest University, told the Journal.
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USA TODAY Homefront conducted its assessment using eight criteria:
FEMA risk index
Winston-Salem scored 81.29 out of 100 on the FEMA Risk Index, a tool used to assess the vulnerability of communities to natural disasters by considering factors such as expected annual loss, community resilience, and social vulnerability, in order to determine the level of risk posed by various hazards like floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters.
The lower the score, the higher the resilience of the community to withstand adverse impacts of such events.
Severe weather episodes (2019–23)
In the assessment of the frequency of severe weather events, such as heatwaves, hurricanes and tornadoes, Winston-Salem scored 64. These events often entail hazardous conditions that pose risks to life, property and infrastructure.
Tree equity score
USA TODAY Homeowner also took a look at Tree Equity Score, which measures the distribution of tree canopy coverage and access to trees across communities. Winston-Salem scored 95 out of 100.
The city’s Urban Forestry Program, coordinated by the Urban Forester, is responsible for managing tree-related regulations and maintenance in the city. They plant trees, remove hazards and clean up storm damage on city properties.
“We’ve strived for the last number of years that we’ve been a Tree City USA… the community is very interested in our tree canopy and our urban forestry canopy,” said Keith Finch, vegetation management director at City of Winston-Salem.
Winston-Salem has planted over 8,000 trees, repeatedly recognized as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Foundation for years. The city was honored as North Carolina’s Tree City USA of the Year in 2017.
“More individuals on private property can be involved in planting trees … one of the things we’re trying to incorporate is better tree pits downtown,” Finch told the Journal. “There’s obviously room for more trees. We’re trying to incorporate native trees where possible.”
Renewable energy tax incentives
Renewable Energy Tax Incentives are financial benefits provided by the government to encourage the use of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal energy. Winston-Salem scored 0.
Winston-Salem, along with two other top five climate-resilient cities, Spokane in Washington and Arlington in Virginia, also scored 0.
2050 projected baseline water stress
The city scored 0.07 for the projected baseline water stress. According to Resource Watch, baseline water stress measures how much water is being used compared to how much is available from surface and groundwater sources that can be naturally replenished. A higher ratio means there’s more demand for water than what’s readily available, indicating greater competition among users for water resources.
The metric serves to gauge the degree of water scarcity or stress in a given area, with higher ratios indicating greater pressure on water resources and potentially signaling a necessity for more sustainable water management practices.
Riverine flooding risk
Riverine flooding happens when rivers and streams overflow their banks, flooding nearby low-lying areas because their channels can’t handle the excess water. Winston-Salem scored 0.18.
Coastal flood risk
Thanks to its location, Winston-Salem benefits from reduced exposure to coastal hazards, such as hurricanes and flooding.
Coastal flooding happens when seawater inundates coastal areas that are typically dry because of high tides or storm surges. The city scored 0 for this criterion.
Drought risk
For drought risk, the city scored 1.93.
While Winston-Salem’s scores demonstrate its strengths, Meiburg noted that the city can do more to further enhance its climate resilience by establishing stronger infrastructure, such as improved stormwater management.
“When you see the riverine flooding risk, in some ways, that’s a function of our stormwater and how much water moves quickly down from urban streets into our river systems. And that’s why the riverine flooding risk is a little higher than in other areas. That would be probably the first thing I would think of,” he said.