Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning Kelsea Best has been featured in Grist article “Why tenants struggle more in the wake of hurricanes.” The discussion focused on Best’s research on affordable housing in the wake of hurricanes, which are becoming more common as a result of climate change. 

The trouble often comes because tenants are vulnerable in a multitude of ways, according to Kelsea Best, lead author and a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Ohio State University. Specifically, renters are contending with the “overlapping crises of housing affordability and climate-related disasters in the United States.”

Another finding from the researchers: Both eviction filings and threats of eviction went up in the wake of hurricanes, which could be fueling housing instability and displacement in the wake of disasters. 

Best also noted that the damage brought on by climate-related disasters can speed up gentrification and displace renters, especially those who are low-income. 

Read more at Grist