۱٫ Introduction

۲٫ Flood risk management

۳٫ Flood resilience

۴٫ Conclusions

Appendix A. Supplementary data

Research Data

References

Abstract

Flood risk management has proven successful at reducing the threat of some flooding hazards, preventing loss of life during flooding events and easing the economic burden to communities and regions following floods. It is a useful approach for assessing risks and guiding decisions on implementing protection measures. Recently, in addition to flood risk management, flood resilience is discussed as a new approach in academic literature. This contribution tries to unravel the relation between flood risk management and flood resilience. Therefore, three aspects are discussed: the definition of resilience, its measurement methods and also its possible implementation and embedding in flood risk management.

Introduction

Resilience is a relatively new concept as applied to environmental hazard management [2]. Currently, a risk-based approach is dominating the way society deals with natural hazards, such as floods. Whereas the risk-based approach provides a rational way of balancing the costs of mitigation and adaptation measures [38], resilience embraces the uncertainties associated with natural hazards by focusing on the ability of affected systems to absorb shocks [33].

The idea of resilience follows closely with a modern emphasis on integrated solutions to environmental issues which are becoming increasingly complex as they expand geographically, economically, socially and politically. At the same time, resilience is considered to be too abstract, apolitical and ahistorical in social science [49]. The traditional ways of applying measures which consider closed and simplified boundary conditions are no longer adequate. In a modern world, processes and people are highly dynamic and far-reaching. Therefore, our measures must reflect society by learning to become similarly flexible and inclusive.