Managing flood risk in the UK: towards an integration of social and technical perspectives

In recent years, an apparent increase in the frequency and severity of floods in the UK has led to growing concerns about societal exposure and vulnerability to flooding, particularly in the context of climate change, floodplain development and changing insurance practices. Despite the important lin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transactions - Institute of British Geographers (1965) 2002-12, Vol.27 (4), p.412-426
Main Authors: Brown, James D., Damery, Sarah L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bgi / Prodig
Climate change
Disaster relief
Environmental management
Environmental policy
Environmental politics
Flood control
flood risk management
Floodplains
Floods
Geography
hazard assessment
Health hazards
Human geography
Natural disasters
Risk management
societal vulnerability
United Kingdom
Warnings
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Summary:In recent years, an apparent increase in the frequency and severity of floods in the UK has led to growing concerns about societal exposure and vulnerability to flooding, particularly in the context of climate change, floodplain development and changing insurance practices. Despite the important link between assessments of exposure to flooding (hazard assessments) and issues of societal vulnerability, this link has rarely been explored in detail and has often been reflected in policy terms by a highly technocratic approach to flood risk management. Indeed, more comprehensive studies have usually favoured rigid and deterministic definitions of vulnerability, in keeping with the wider technocratic paradigm pervading management institutions. In an attempt to redress the balance, this paper considers the role of hazard assessment and issues of societal vulnerability as mutually informative debates and advocates a movement away from the technocratic ideals currently favoured in the UK.
ISSN:0020-2754
1475-5661
DOI:10.1111/1475-5661.00063