Editorial: great floods have flown from simple sources

Fenner, Richard

doi:10.1098/rsta.2019.0199

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 21 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…Wider benefits, including public access and biodiversity gains, are a central focus in the blue–green cities initiative (Thorne, 2020). Introducing a Royal Society volume on urban flood resilience, Fenner (2020: 7) describes ‘the messy nature of urban flood risk management’, given the huge range of stakeholders in a complex infrastructure landscape. With increased impetus for house-building from the UK Government, SuDS and blue–green policies need greater prominence, support and deployment within planning law to become effective.…”

Section: Scale-related Delivery: Catchment-based and Smaller Scale Optionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

River science and flood risk management policy in England

Newson

Lewin

Raven

2021

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

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We review the role of science in shaping river flood risk management policy in England, highlighting the relatively recent influence of fluvial geomorphology, river ecology, climate change and ecosystem services in evidence-based decision-making. These disciplines, together with an historical perspective, catchment-scale delivery, integrated land and water management planning, and adaptive management are crucial in managing future flood risk. A central tenet of previous land drainage policy was a professional (and public) mindset about flood ‘prevention’ solutions for river flooding. As a direct consequence, more than 8,500 km of rivers were ‘improved’ by mechanical dredging during the 1930s to 1980s; habitats were destroyed, but flooding continued. A more enlightened, long-term approach has since evolved in response to environmental imperatives and lessons learnt from several major floods during the last two ‘flood-rich’ decades. River science, local knowledge and land management incentives allow more natural processes to be restored in river catchments. The natural capital and ecosystem service benefits of river systems are now better understood and quantified, whereas the importance of sediment transport is fully recognised, with sources and sinks treated more holistically than in the past. Evaluating the outcomes of innovative runoff and river management techniques from both physical and socioeconomic perspectives will determine the success of a catchment-based approach. We highlight some of the uncertainties, nuances and assumptions associated with recent initiatives such as Natural Flood Management, Citizen Science and Flood Action Groups. Further integration between policy, strategic planning and local delivery is needed to anticipate and respond to climate and catchment land use changes. River science will play a crucial part in identifying the most effective way of improving flood management and in a way that helps to deliver the recovery of nature. It will inform adaptive management to cope with climate change.

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Section: Scale-related Delivery: Catchment-based and Smaller Scale Optionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

River science and flood risk management policy in England

Newson

Lewin

Raven

2021

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

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The developing flood rich period: Science evidence and policy evolution for England. Is it time for place‐based socio‐ecological solutions?

Newson,

Lewin

2024

River Research & Apps

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Flood‐related policies for England are reviewed, updating needs in the light of recent flood‐rich decades and in recognition of future climate trends. This review updates one we published in 2021—a significant year for extreme floods in Europe that were part of a continuing trend; governments now require fast‐track adaptation and resilience policies. Currently, the event signals that increasing spatial and temporal variability of impacts are insufficiently incorporated in hazard/risk assessments. We advocate a transformative policy change towards place‐based strategies, based on the fast‐emerging evidence from three sciences: hydroclimatology, hydrology and hydromorphology. It is vital that policy actions recognise factors such as atmospheric rivers, surface water flooding, and the role of eroded and transported sediments in localised hazards and risks. Located vulnerabilities require local strategies. Attribution of extreme events to climate change, and the recognition and specification of genuinely vulnerable sites, need further refinement and extension into public decision making. Risk assessment needs reform, both from science but also for institutions and individuals, with accompanying reform of flood risk management expenditure. Data analysis of rainfall and river flows need more disciplined clarity; standard sets are needed together with their variable spatial/temporal application. We further recognise sediment hazards (and other entrained debris spread in flood flows) as new and important components for the located risk of present and emerging ‘hot spots’.

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From managing risk to increasing resilience: a review on the development of urban flood resilience, its assessment and the implications for decision making

Rözer

Mehryar

Surminski

2022

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Driven by urban growth in hazard prone areas such as along coasts or rivers as well as by climate change induced sea-level rise and increase in extreme rainfall, flood risk in urban areas is increasing. Better understanding of risks, risk drivers and its consequences in urban areas have revealed shortcomings in the existing flood risk management approaches. This has led to a paradigm shift in dealing with floods from managing the risk to reduce damages, to making urban communities resilient to flooding. Often described as a complex and at times confusing concept, this systematic review identifies and summarises the different dimensions and approaches of urban flood resilience and how they are applied in practice. Our analysis shows that urban flood resilience as a concept has evolved over the last two decades. From an engineering concept with a strong focus on ensuring that the built environment can withstand a flood to a more recent definition as a transformative process with the aim to enable all parts of the urban system to live with floods and learn from previous shocks. This evolved understanding is also reflected in the increasing number of dimensions considered in urban flood resilience assessments and decision support tools. A thematic analysis of the challenges in conceptualising and applying urban flood resilience reported in the literature has revealed a number of issues including around fairness and equity of the applied approaches, a lack of data and widely accepted methods as well as uncertainty around changing risks as a result of climate change. Based on these findings we propose a new research agenda, focusing on meta studies to identify the key dimensions and criteria for urban flood resilience, supporting a transparent and evidence-led operationalisation.

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Editorial: great floods have flown from simple sources

Abstract: Great floods have flown from simple sources, and great seas have dried when miracles have by the greatest been denied. Oft expectation fails, and most oft there where most it promises. William Shakespeare (All's Well that Ends Well

Cited by 3 publications

References 21 publications

River science and flood risk management policy in England

River science and flood risk management policy in England

The developing flood rich period: Science evidence and policy evolution for England. Is it time for place‐based socio‐ecological solutions?

From managing risk to increasing resilience: a review on the development of urban flood resilience, its assessment and the implications for decision making

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