In a world influenced by climate change and consequently sea-level rise, extreme floods are expected to become more frequent in the future, representing a serious threat for riverine and coastal settlements. Therefore, flood protection is a large component of climate adaptation and should be closely related to other measures of climate adaptation and societal needs. In this context, SARCC (Sustainable And Resilient Coastal Cities) supports the use of integrated Nature Based Solutions into coastal management, urban planning and design, integrating them into existing infrastructure and flood defenses. This paper will focus on the strategy developed for Southend-On-Sea (UK), presenting the different approaches that were used to manage coastal flooding and make it part of a long-term large scale urban development strategy. In particular, this study estimated overtopping discharges during extreme storm conditions and analyzed their inland propagation using Delft3D FM numerical simulations. Based on these results, mitigation, and adaptation measures as a part of the spatial strategy were developed through a joint collaboration of hydraulic engineers, urban designers, maritime archaeologists and local authorities, pointing out the strength of interdisciplinary approaches for reliable and well-integrated flood protection strategies. Important highlight of the study is how flood risk management is integrated in spatial planning and how hydraulic engineering modeling is directly use as indicators to make spatial design decisions. ... Read more

Mean sea level rise (SLR) could increase up to 2m by 2100, which would see damage caused by coastal flooding in Europe increase from €1.25bn per annum currently to €961bn in just over 80 years. Urban areas situated along the North Sea coastline are particularly vulnerable to extreme sea level rise (a combination of SLR, tide, and storm surges). The main goal of this study is to assess the paradigm shift in flood risk management from reducing probability of the flood event to reducing its consequences in the city of Vlissingen, in the Netherlands. Two spatial adaptation strategies are modeled and compared by using spatial, climatic, and socioeconomic projections for the year 2100: the “Vlissings Model” and the “Spuikom Model.” The Vlissings Model is about increased coastal protection through the heightening of existing grey infrastructure by 3 m, which includes the dike and buildings constructed on top of it. The Spuikom Model is accepting and rerouting overtopping water towards an existing former backshore water basin. The study brings forth an interdisciplinary “Design & Assess” framework that brings together design strategies with flood damage models and cost/benefit analyses to compare the effectiveness of two paradigms in dealing with extreme SLR. ... Read more

Spatial design integrates social, cultural, economic, and political perspectives with natural site conditions and man-made construction to plan for sustainable urban development. The current flood-risk-related challenges induced by climate change place pressure on designing cities in which both natural and man-made conditions can be imbalanced. Creating a purely engineered line of flood defense to restore this balance does not always work. The idea of living more closely with water includes the discipline of spatial design more into flood risk management than the current dominant paradigm. Following the probability approach defined as risk = probability × consequences, the current Dutch paradigm is focused on reducing the probability with dikes; the United States focuses on reduction of consequences by evacuation and recovery. This chapter focuses on urban design and planning strategies for reducing flood risk not just by a flood defense line such as a dike, but also reducing risk by means of urban development behind the dike. Integrated urban flood design must integrate site-built environment characteristics and natural systems, and simultaneously solve challenges posed by hazards. Effective design, therefore, must be conducted on the basis of hydraulic engineering knowledge, leading to spatial designs that introduce resilient urban qualities. Two cases for this approach are presented and compared: Vlissingen, the Netherlands and Galveston, Texas, United States. ... Read more

The relation between the design of the flood protection infrastructure and the design of the urbanscape is the focus of this paper with the question on how these two types of design can consciously affect each other. The text presents the preliminary result of an interdisciplinary research conducted by a team of urban designers and hydraulic engineers on two pilot projects of coastal adaptation to extreme sea level rise on the North Sea: Vlissingen (NL) and Southend-on-Sea (UK). Spatial measures to accept the flood, land use change, water-proof housing developments and the use of nature-based solutions are described in relation to the urban fabric. The aim is to discuss models of flood risk reduction which are alternatives to the more conventional coastal flood protection strategies. A different designerly way of thinking and a great effort of description and analysis of the two cases have been enacted to enlighten the spatial qualities of the urban form and its long-term adaptability. ... Read more