Flooding is an increasingly significant environmental hazard, as a result of land use change, climate change and other factors. But how can communities develop greater resilience to combat future flood risk? This book provides an accessible synthesis of the current research, policy and practice literature on flood risk management through a community lens. The primary focus is on flood risk but the book also draws appropriately on related research in other environmental hazards contexts (e.g. drought, volcanic, earthquake hazards). It also presents the author’s own ‘engaged’ research in flood risk management in distinctive non-contiguous interdisciplinary settings, as well as that of other researchers who have worked on and with ‘community’ in flood risk contexts.
The approach is interdisciplinary, drawing across work at the interface between the natural and social sciences. It capitalises on recent and on-going research alongside knowledge of the policy shifts that have been implemented after recent major floods, for example in the UK, Europe, Brisbane (Australia) and New Orleans (USA). The focus is predominately on the developed world but also include lessons learnt from community engagement with flood risk in the developing world, such as in Bangladesh. The chapters are designed to draw together a different and distinctive set of interdisciplinary themes in flood risk management and social resilience, which contrasts with more traditional books on engineering and infrastructure approaches.
Chapter 1 Interdisciplinary explorations in communities and their
resilience to changing flood risk: an introduction
Chapter 2 Different flood types and diverse communities: interactions,
impacts and management at local level
Chapter 3 Flood hazard perception, awareness, and action: from individual to
community?
Chapter 4 Different flood knowledges: conflict or integration?
Chapter 5 Linking flood heritage and local community resilience
Chapter 6 Communicating flood science for community resilience
Chapter 7 Flood management strategies and their relation to community
awareness and action
Chapter 8 Community participation and agency in local flood risk management
Chapter 9 Community learning for flood resilience: strategies and pitfalls
Chapter 10 Community resilience to flood risk: futures, challenges and
opportunities
Lindsey Jo McEwen is Professor of Environmental Management and Director of the Centre for Water, Communities and Resilience at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
