Design, Construction and Planning
Maria Watson Research Group
Led by Maria Watson · Construction Management
What we study
Dr. Watson studies how disasters affect communities, focusing on how infrastructure, housing, and businesses recover together. She analyzes disaster programs to improve recovery efforts.
What working here is like
- Computational
- Coding helps
- Papers
- 5
Recent papers, explained
- “It’s Like Trying to Put Out a Fire With a Dixie Cup”: Understanding Disconnects Between Local Level Administrators’ Challenges, Resources, and Needs in Implementing State Affordable Housing Programs
2026 · Housing Policy Debate
Examines challenges faced by housing administrators in implementing state housing programs in Florida.
- Beyond attractiveness: How spatial planning shapes community-based small business resilience to environmental shocks
2026 · Cities
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- The Effect of Disaster Assistance on Household and Business Mitigation: Relocation and Rebuilding Decisions After Hurricanes Ike and Harvey
2026 · Journal of Planning Education and Research
Finds that disaster recovery funds influence relocation and rebuilding decisions differently for households and businesses.
- Disaster vulnerability of the construction industry: comparing impacts of hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic on Florida construction companies
2024 · Construction Management and Economics
Compares how hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic affect Florida construction companies.
- Assessing Catchment Vulnerability of Community-Based Small Businesses to Coastal Hazards: Spatial and Sectoral Disparities
2024 · Natural Hazards Review
Assesses how coastal hazards affect small businesses by analyzing their catchment areas and customer access.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
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