Cascading and emergent water risks at the margins with Marccus Hendricks, PhD, MPH
Please join the Harvard Chan NIEHS Center for Environmental Health and the Department of Environmental Health for a talk by Marccus Hendricks, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Urban Studies and (Environmental) Planning at the University of Maryland. Dr. Hendricks will discuss “Cascading and emergent water risks at the margins: Insights from the Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab.”
This event will be held in person (HSPH Bldg. 1, 1302) and via Zoom. Register here
Trainee meeting for students and postdocs immediately following the seminar, 2-2:30 pm, in 1306A! Come in-person to discuss research interests, career plans, and funding opportunities. RSVP here!
Abstract
Stormwater hazards are unevenly distributed across urban landscapes, with working-class communities of color disproportionately exposed to a variety of water risks; conditions intensified by extreme weather. This talk examines how “cascading and emergent water risks” arise at the intersection of aging infrastructure, environmental variability, and social inequality.
Drawing on research from the SIRJ (pronounced surge) Lab, Dr. Marccus Hendricks introduces conceptual frameworks that situate stormwater systems within broader social, political, and environmental contexts, emphasizing how infrastructure access and performance are shaped by inequitable planning and governance. He demonstrates how cascading risks, such as stormwater runoff, sewer overflows, and basement backups, create emergent hazards that extend beyond traditional flooding to impact health, housing, and well-being.
The talk additionally highlights sensing technologies and advanced GIS modeling to track water and infrastructure, monitor performance, and assess real-time conditions. A Baltimore case study illustrates a multi-method approach to evaluate interconnected risks and inform more equitable infrastructure planning and management.
About the speaker
Marccus D. Hendricks is an Associate Professor of Urban Studies and (Environmental) Planning at the University of Maryland (UMD), where he directs the Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab and holds affiliations in engineering and public health. In 2023, he served as Senior Advisor for Climate and Community Resilience in the inaugural Office of Environmental Justice at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
A leading scholar of environmental justice, infrastructure resilience, and water risks, Dr. Hendricks examines how social processes and development patterns shape hazardous environments that disproportionately affect marginalized communities. His work has been featured by the Associated Press, Washington Post, CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, and Scientific American, among others.
Dr. Hendricks is a 2026–2027 Harvard Radcliffe-Salata Climate Justice Fellow, former U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board member, author on the U.S. Fifth National Climate Assessment, and a 2021 Grist 50 “Fixer.” He holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Sciences and MPH from Texas A&M University.
Speaker Information
Organizers
ⓘ Harvard Chan School hosts a diverse array of speakers, invited to share both scholarly research and personal perspectives. They do not speak for the School, and hosting them does not imply endorsement of their views, organizations, or employers.