Recognition of differences in the capacity to deal with floods—A cross‐country comparison of flood risk management

Abstract Flood risks worldwide are increasing due to climate change. Managing these risks is ever more necessary. Although flood risk management (FRM) is often understood as a technical challenge, it also involves decisions about the distribution of resources and risks in floods, which can be inhere...

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Main Authors: Mandy Paauw, Glen Smith, Ann Crabbé, Marie Fournier, Johan Munck af Rosenschöld, Sally Priest, Aino Rekola
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-03-01
Series:Journal of Flood Risk Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12965
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author Mandy Paauw
Glen Smith
Ann Crabbé
Marie Fournier
Johan Munck af Rosenschöld
Sally Priest
Aino Rekola
author_facet Mandy Paauw
Glen Smith
Ann Crabbé
Marie Fournier
Johan Munck af Rosenschöld
Sally Priest
Aino Rekola
author_sort Mandy Paauw
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Flood risks worldwide are increasing due to climate change. Managing these risks is ever more necessary. Although flood risk management (FRM) is often understood as a technical challenge, it also involves decisions about the distribution of resources and risks in floods, which can be inherently unfair. People are disparately affected by floods due to their location. Because of their various socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, they also differ in their capacity to deal with floods. These differences need to be recognised in FRM to prevent disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities. However, at present, a knowledge gap exists on how to make FRM more inclusive and just, and discussions on recognition justice in the context of FRM are scarce. This article therefore examines recognition of differences in the capacity of people to deal with floods in FRM in England (United Kingdom), Finland, Flanders (Belgium) and France. We analyse if, and how, these differences are recognised in FRM policy and practice and through decision‐making procedures, drawing on examples from the implementation of five FRM strategies in each country (flood risk prevention, flood defence, flood risk mitigation, flood preparation and flood recovery). Furthermore, we aim to highlight opportunity spaces to strengthen recognition justice in future FRM.
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publishDate 2025-03-01
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record_format Article
series Journal of Flood Risk Management
spelling doaj-art-456ed79507a54d5e86e23659c12c820f2025-08-20T02:54:01ZengWileyJournal of Flood Risk Management1753-318X2025-03-01181n/an/a10.1111/jfr3.12965Recognition of differences in the capacity to deal with floods—A cross‐country comparison of flood risk managementMandy Paauw0Glen Smith1Ann Crabbé2Marie Fournier3Johan Munck af Rosenschöld4Sally Priest5Aino Rekola6Centre for Research on Environmental and Social Change (CRESC), Department of Sociology University of Antwerp Antwerpen BelgiumFlood Hazard Research Center (FHRC) Middlesex University London UKCentre for Research on Environmental and Social Change (CRESC), Department of Sociology University of Antwerp Antwerpen BelgiumÉcole Supérieure des Géomètres et Topographes Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) Le Mans FranceClimate Solutions Unit Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) Helsinki FinlandFlood Hazard Research Center (FHRC) Middlesex University London UKSocietal Change Unit Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) Helsinki FinlandAbstract Flood risks worldwide are increasing due to climate change. Managing these risks is ever more necessary. Although flood risk management (FRM) is often understood as a technical challenge, it also involves decisions about the distribution of resources and risks in floods, which can be inherently unfair. People are disparately affected by floods due to their location. Because of their various socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, they also differ in their capacity to deal with floods. These differences need to be recognised in FRM to prevent disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities. However, at present, a knowledge gap exists on how to make FRM more inclusive and just, and discussions on recognition justice in the context of FRM are scarce. This article therefore examines recognition of differences in the capacity of people to deal with floods in FRM in England (United Kingdom), Finland, Flanders (Belgium) and France. We analyse if, and how, these differences are recognised in FRM policy and practice and through decision‐making procedures, drawing on examples from the implementation of five FRM strategies in each country (flood risk prevention, flood defence, flood risk mitigation, flood preparation and flood recovery). Furthermore, we aim to highlight opportunity spaces to strengthen recognition justice in future FRM.https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12965climate change adaptationenvironmental justicefloodsflood risk management(in)equalityrecognition justice
spellingShingle Mandy Paauw
Glen Smith
Ann Crabbé
Marie Fournier
Johan Munck af Rosenschöld
Sally Priest
Aino Rekola
Recognition of differences in the capacity to deal with floods—A cross‐country comparison of flood risk management
Journal of Flood Risk Management
climate change adaptation
environmental justice
floods
flood risk management
(in)equality
recognition justice
title Recognition of differences in the capacity to deal with floods—A cross‐country comparison of flood risk management
title_full Recognition of differences in the capacity to deal with floods—A cross‐country comparison of flood risk management
title_fullStr Recognition of differences in the capacity to deal with floods—A cross‐country comparison of flood risk management
title_full_unstemmed Recognition of differences in the capacity to deal with floods—A cross‐country comparison of flood risk management
title_short Recognition of differences in the capacity to deal with floods—A cross‐country comparison of flood risk management
title_sort recognition of differences in the capacity to deal with floods a cross country comparison of flood risk management
topic climate change adaptation
environmental justice
floods
flood risk management
(in)equality
recognition justice
url https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12965
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