Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The evaluation of natural disaster and water supply policy boundaries in several southeastern United States’ (US), suggests that regional resilience, specifically for rural areas, may benefit from an alignment of overlapping regulatory programs. While economic development approaches for rural or periphery areas, is influenced by many different policy interests, including; tourism; conservation; agriculture; natural resource extraction; and social services, these shared and competing interests are often not as well understood as their urban counterparts in the research of successful megaregion economies. The resilience and vulnerability of rural areas differ in need and action as compared to urban areas, yet is interdependent not only for human safety needs but water and wastewater utility supply and performance. This quantitative study examines the relationship between climate change policy boundaries, and water supply services, specifically in rural areas with lagging economic conditions. Climate change is anticipated to influence the southeastern US with more drought, and flood events. This study evaluates disaster management plans, regional resilience of social, environmental, infrastructure and economic conditions, and water supply management plans, for policy alignment and enhancement opportunities. The ability to use regional disaster management plan boundaries appears to erode at the urban, rural boundary divide embedded in local politics. This political valiance issue may serve as an underutilized opportunity to enhance climate change economics.