TY - JOUR
T1 - Hess opinions
T2 - An interdisciplinary research agenda to explore the unintended consequences of structural flood protection
AU - Baldassarre, Giuliano Di
AU - Kreibich, Heidi
AU - Vorogushyn, Sergiy
AU - Aerts, Jeroen
AU - Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten
AU - Barendrecht, Marlies
AU - Bates, Paul
AU - Borga, Marco
AU - Botzen, Wouter
AU - Bubeck, Philip
AU - De Marchi, Bruna
AU - Llasat, Carmen
AU - Mazzoleni, Maurizio
AU - Molinari, Daniela
AU - Mondino, Elena
AU - Märd, Johanna
AU - Petrucci, Olga
AU - Scolobig, Anna
AU - Viglione, Alberto
AU - Ward, Philip J.
PY - 2018/10/30
Y1 - 2018/10/30
N2 - One common approach to cope with floods is the implementation of structural flood protection measures, such as levees or flood-control reservoirs, which substantially reduce the probability of flooding at the time of implementation. Numerous scholars have problematized this approach. They have shown that increasing the levels of flood protection can attract more settlements and high-value assets in the areas protected by the new measures. Other studies have explored how structural measures can generate a sense of complacency, which can act to reduce preparedness. These paradoxical risk changes have been described as levee effect, safe development paradox or safety dilemma. In this commentary, we briefly review this phenomenon by critically analysing the intended benefits and unintended effects of structural flood protection, and then we propose an interdisciplinary research agenda to uncover these paradoxical dynamics of risk.
AB - One common approach to cope with floods is the implementation of structural flood protection measures, such as levees or flood-control reservoirs, which substantially reduce the probability of flooding at the time of implementation. Numerous scholars have problematized this approach. They have shown that increasing the levels of flood protection can attract more settlements and high-value assets in the areas protected by the new measures. Other studies have explored how structural measures can generate a sense of complacency, which can act to reduce preparedness. These paradoxical risk changes have been described as levee effect, safe development paradox or safety dilemma. In this commentary, we briefly review this phenomenon by critically analysing the intended benefits and unintended effects of structural flood protection, and then we propose an interdisciplinary research agenda to uncover these paradoxical dynamics of risk.
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U2 - 10.5194/hess-22-5629-2018
DO - 10.5194/hess-22-5629-2018
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85056254130
VL - 22
SP - 5629
EP - 5637
JO - Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
JF - Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
SN - 1027-5606
IS - 11
ER -