Assessment of Social Vulnerability to Floods in the Floodplain of Northern Italy

Abstract

Practices for reducing the impacts of floods are becoming more and more advanced, centered on communities and reaching out to vulnerable populations. Vulnerable individuals are characterized by social and economic attributes and by societal dynamics rooted in each community. These indicators can magnify the negative impacts of disasters together with the capacity of each individual to cope with these events. The Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) provides an empirical basis to compare social differences in various spatial scenarios and for specific environmental hazards. This research shows the application of the SoVI to the floodplain of northern Italy, based on the use of 15 census variables. The chosen study area is of particular interest for the high occurrence of flood events coupled with a high level of human activity, landscape transformations, and an elevated concentration of assets and people. The analysis identified a positive spatial autocorrelation across the floodplain that translates into the spatial detection of vulnerable groups, those that are likely to suffer the most from floods. In a second stage, the output of the index was superimposed on the flood hazard map of the study area to analyze the resulting risk. The Piemonte and Veneto regions contain the main areas prone to flood “social” risk, highlighting the need for a cohesive management approach at all levels to recognize local capacities and increase communication, awareness, and preparedness to mitigate the undesirable effects of such events

Mapping Socioeconomic Exposure for Flood Risk Assessment in Italy

“…Many risk assessment studies focus on the vulnerability of physical assets by accounting for potential damage to structures and, occasionally, their content (Jongman et al., , ; Koks, Bockarjova, de Moel, & Aerts, ; Roder et al., ). Social variables are often neglected, although they can help for understanding how the expected burden is distributed.…”

“…Social variables are often neglected, although they can help for understanding how the expected burden is distributed. The capacity to cope with disaster damage and losses has been previously analyzed by using a number of socioeconomic characteristics such as wealth, age, ethnicity, and quality of dwellings, which are employed to define a vulnerability index (Bakkensen, Fox‐Lent, Read, & Linkov, ; Cutter, Boruff, & Shirley, ; Fekete, ; Fernandez et al., ; Frigerio, Strigaro, Mattavelli, Mugnano, & De Amicis, ; Koks et al., ; Roder et al., ; Willis, Gibin, Barros, & Webber, ; Zhou, Li, Wu, Wu, & Shi, ). The choice of variables used in such studies is typically influenced by the availability of spatially explicit data (Balica, Douben, & Wright, ).…”

High‐resolution mapping of Manawatu palaeochannels

“…Insurance claims suggest flood damage frequency is increasing (Smart & McKerchar 2010). This scenario for New Zealand, as elsewhere (Roder et al 2017;Sofia et al 2017a), highlights the importance of analysing and interpreting floodplains to better understand the potential risk for urban development and intensive land use. Combining historical data with new approaches for mapping can improve understanding of processes and thus enhance societal resilience (Sofia et al 2017a).…”

“…This scenario for New Zealand, as elsewhere (Roder et al . ; Sofia et al . ), highlights the importance of analysing and interpreting floodplains to better understand the potential risk for urban development and intensive land use.…”

“…Floodplains have served as focal points for urban development and are among the world's most modified, populated, hazardous and vulnerable landscapes (Lewin 2013;Roder et al 2017). They are dynamic systems shaped by repeated erosion and deposition of sediment, inundation during rising water levels, and complex groundwatersurface water exchange processes (e.g.…”