Smart tools in risk communication: how can we reach flood-resilient cities?
Abstract
Observing natural disasters in Europe, flooding annually causes the greatest economic and societal losses. Changes in extreme hydro-meteorological events impact the flood-resilience of cities. The central aim of the FLOODLABEL project is to improve resilience and the adaptive capacity of cities in a smart manner to sustain urban living in Europe. To protect cities from flooding and other types of inundations, traditional government-led flood protection needs to be complemented by homeowners' adaptation. Private adaptation measures have the goal to reduce the impact of flooding on economic assets, however, homeowners insufficiently implement these due to their lack of risk awareness and knowledge gaps regarding measures to take action. The FLOODLABEL is a prototype tool which serves to inform homeowners about their individual flood risks and to support the planning and decision-making of experts and local governments to achieve more flood-resilient cities. By developing the FLOODLABEL tool both private stakeholders and civil society can be involved in decision-making processes to create more resilient communities. This project aims to design, test and implement this smart governance tool in urban living labs. The living labs are sites in neighbourhoods that are prone to different types of flooding in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria. In these areas, the FLOODLABEL is explored and tested in terms of its social and technical functionality as well as a tool to improve risk communication. Expected results are to increase the flood risk awareness among homeowners and provide them with tailored information on individual adaptation measures. In addition, the implementation of measures through governance arrangements should be triggered. Expertise stemming from risk assessment studies, spatial simulation, urban planning and planning support science is integrated for the creation of this new planning instrument.
- Publication:
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EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- April 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018EGUGA..20..670A