Process design and management for integrated urban flood risk management

To live, work and invest in a safe and attractive living environment requires continuous efforts to facilitate and cope with changes to the urban system and its environment such as rapid urbanisation -city (re)developments- and climate change. These changes increase both flood probability and potential flood impact (or in other words: hazard, exposure and vulnerability) and increase insecurity about its magnitudes.

The predominant approach has been a precautionary approach applying instant, over-dimensioned, flood probability reducing measures, whilst -as a consequence- city development has continued without considering flood risk. However, it is believed that integrated long term flood risk management can be more efficient and effective when also other measures are considered/applied that (1) reduce potential flood impact by reducing systems’ (or areas’ ) vulnerability and increasing its resilience and (2) can be applied and adjusted over time (adaptable approach). Additionally these measures provide new synergic opportunities to enhance safety and create a more attractive living environment at the same time, especially when (re)developing an urban area.

By broadening the scope of flood management to impact and uncertainty, the complexity, dynamics and amount of involved actors increases.

- Complexity: how to analyse and assess impact? how to influence impact? How to va

- Dynamics: flood impact and probability change over time, stakeholders interests and roles change over time. In fact, the optimal strategy or measures change over time asking for adaptable, flexible, resilient strategies.

- Multi-actor: besides water managers managing water quantity (probability), spatial planners, inhabitants, developers, politicians can influence and are influenced by (new) flood risk management strategies and have different interests.

Hence, Flood risk management requires a more integrated approach and considers a broader range of solutions involving more actors and disciplines / expertises.

Practical implementation of flood risk management is hampered by uncertainty on its effectiveness & efficiency as it is not quantitatively, theoretically, let alone empirically proven that strategies or even single measures that aim to reduce potential flood impact are more efficient or effective than strategies or measures to reduce probability at any spatial scale level. Integrated flood risk management could be seen as an unnecessary way to complicate its very own management process. However, tools are being developed to support decision-making and strategy development. Tools that would also be able to quantify strategy/measure’s effectiveness and efficiency to reduce flood risk, also compared to traditional flood defence management. However conditional the discussion, public interest is raising, more actors become involved and (exploration of) new solutions is demanded and simply done.

On the other hand, implementation of flood risk management is hampered by a (subsequent) lack of knowledge and experience in design and management of the implementation process. This barrier has become apparent as complexity, dynamics and the number and type of actors have increased. Thus: how, when and with whom shall a flood management strategy be developed?

The proposed research (this Phd) aims to contribute to overcome the actual implementation barrier for flood risk management, by providing involved actors with a (new) theoretical framework for flood risk management process design and management and the assessment thereof.