Towards a Flood-Resilient Civil Society

Abstract

Flooding is one of the most destructive climate disasters. Since the 21st century, the United States, Thailand, China, and many other countries have been hit by flash floods, which not only exposed the vulnerability of the urban system expansively but also serves as an opportunity to promote resilient city construction. The research begins by reviewing the major policy and project progress in the field of flood mitigation. It turns out that most countries rely heavily on engineering facilities for flood control to hold back floods, ignoring the uncertainty caused by climate change and urban expansion, which is not a long-term effective solution to the flooding problem.
Given the literature review of flood resilience, the result shows that it remains largely unpracticed in contemporary urban planning and design, mainly manifested in the insufficient participation of spatial planning science in flood risk management. Based on Dutch policy systems and planning approaches, the project will evaluate existing flood risk management frameworks, develop mechanisms for stakeholder engagement, explore the most efficient flood adaptation strategies, and provide guidance on how to establish urban flood resilience using design tools and planning approaches. Finally, areas along the Meuse and inland will face climate change with greater confidence.