Heritage at Risk in Urban Environments: Integrating Municipal Archaeology into Flooding Mitigation Projects in the City of St. Augustine

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cities on the Move: Reflecting on Urban Archaeology in the 21st Century", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Over the last six years, the City of St. Augustine has experienced increased urbanization and a growing tourism industry while simultaneously facing climate change realities. New construction projects on private property aim to fight flooding by complying with new building codes and stormwater retention requirements. Meanwhile, municipal efforts to combat sea level rise and alleviate flooding – including site drainage plans, underground retention ponds, and permeable surfaces – help keep the city dry, but pose a significant threat to archaeological resources. As part of the City’s Planning and Building Department, the Archaeology Program can sometimes assist with creating a balance between battling environmental hazards, meeting historic preservation standards, accommodating city planning, and preserving archaeological resources. Several development projects on a variety of public, private, commercial, and residential properties are used as case studies for successful collaboration between a small municipal government, contractors, and property owners.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Cities on the Move: Reflecting on Urban Archaeology in the 21st Century   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow