Investigating homeowners' interest in property-level flood protection

Purpose - The inevitability of climate change and its consequences brings on the need to find new ways of adapting to extreme events, such as floods. One immediate measure would be to make physical improvements to houses to either prevent their inundation or minimise the damage when flood waters ent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of disaster resilience in the built environment 2010-07, Vol.1 (2), p.157-172
Main Authors: Kazmierczak, Aleksandra, Bichard, Erik
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Climate change
Design engineering
Environmental risk
Flood control
Flood damage
Flood insurance
Flood protection
Flooding
Floodplains
Floods
Floodwater
Houses
Insurance policies
Perception
Polls & surveys
Precipitation
Rain
Resilience
Risk
Storm damage
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Summary:Purpose - The inevitability of climate change and its consequences brings on the need to find new ways of adapting to extreme events, such as floods. One immediate measure would be to make physical improvements to houses to either prevent their inundation or minimise the damage when flood waters enter premises. Currently, the level of implementation of these measures is low. This paper aims to assess the willingness of house owners living in flood risk zones to carry out works that make their homes better protected against flooding.Design methodology approach - Householders (101) in low- and medium-income areas of Salford, north west of England were interviewed on their perceptions of climate change consequences, willingness to make physical improvements to their properties and preparedness to pay for them.Findings - The homeowners are concerned about the climate change effects on their homes, feel responsible for protection of their properties against flooding and express interest in several flood protection measures. The median value respondents are willing to pay is under £100.Research limitations implications - This study is carried out on a small sample of respondents and national-scale survey is recommended.Practical implications - There is a need for action to increase the motivation to invest in property-level flood measures among house owners, which should include awareness raising actions, subsidies and incentives promoting sustainable behaviour.Originality value - The paper investigates the new subject of property-level flood protection and provides a comprehensive analysis of homeowners' perceptions of climate change risks and willingness to act.
ISSN:1759-5908
1759-5916
DOI:10.1108/17595901011056622