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Unlike aboveground utility systems, for which very detailed and accurate information exists, there is generally a dearth of good-quality data about underground utility infrastructures that provide vital services. To identify key strategies to improve the resilience of these underground systems, this paper presents mechanisms for successful engagement and collaboration among stakeholders and shared cross-sector system vulnerability concerns (including data availability) based on the innova- tive use of focus groups. Outputs from two virtual focus groups were used to obtain information from New York City area utilities and other stakeholders affected by underground infrastructure. There was strong agreement among participants that (1) a trusted agency in New York City government should manage a detailed map of underground infrastructure that would allow stakeholders to securely access appropriate information about underground systems on a need-to-know basis; (2) environmental risk factors, such as infrastructure age and condition, as well as location should be included; and (3) improved mechanisms for collaboration and sharing information are needed, especially during non-emergency situations. Stakeholders also highlighted the need for a regularly updated central database of relevant contacts at key organizations, since institutions often have a high employee turnover rate, which creates knowledge loss. The focus group script developed as part of this research was designed to be transferable to other cities to assess data needs and potential obstacles to stakeholder collabora- tion in the areas of underground infrastructure mapping and modeling. 

There is increasing evidence that climate change will lead to greater and more frequent extreme weather events, thus underscoring the importance of effectively communicating risks of record storm surges in coastal communities. This article reviews why risk communication often fails to convey the nature and risk of storm surge among the public and highlights the limitations of conventional (two-dimensional) storm surge flood maps. The research explores the potential of dynamic street-level, augmented scenes to increase the tangibility of these risks and foster a greater sense of agency among the public. The study focused on Sunset Park, a coastal community in southwest Brooklyn that is vulnerable to storm surges and flooding. Two different representations of flooding corresponding to a category three hurricane scenario were prepared: (1) a conventional two-dimensional flood map (“2D” control group) and (2) a, dynamic, street view simulation (“3D”test group). The street view simulations were found to be (1) more effective in conveying the magnitude of flooding and evacuation challenges, (2) easier to use for judging flood water depth (even without a flood depth legend), (3) capable of generating stronger emotional responses, and (4) perceived as more authoritative in nature