Natural Hazards Research Summit 2024: Development of an Equity-Based Infrastructure Metric for Improved Community Resilience to Hazards

A novel infrastructure equity metric to assess the service performance inequity is derived that can be integrated alongside traditional least cost and performance metrics in infrastructure decision-making. The equity metric is based on Theil’s T and measures the service inequity between two groups, such as a vulnerable and non-vulnerable group of concern. The metric is first implemented in a hypothetical compact electric grid relative to a hurricane hazard to understand the equity metric’s performance. The metric is further applied in Galveston’s electric distribution network for a hurricane hazard to assess the current inequity state and inequity reduction achieved through retrofit. This metric could be used by decision-makers to incorporate equity in their infrastructure decisions.