Climate change, flood risk, and new housing
Principal Investigator: Ruth McKay, Management
Project Title: Climate Change, Flood Risk and New Housing: The 2021 flood of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany
Funder: SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant
Partner: Stichting Deltares
Collaborator: Aveco de Bondt
Duration: 1 year
Global climate change has led to severe heatwaves, droughts, and costly floods that have impacted millions of people. Urban floods, including the record-breaking floods in western Europe in July 2021, threaten household security, equity, and the economy, and thus emphasize the urgent need for guidance regarding flood risks in housing development planning.
Lack of research in this area is a remarkable oversight given pressure for housing development globally, especially in the context of growing threats from severe weather and resultant changes to insurance coverage and associated financing and liability.
Marco Hoogvliet, Expert Advisor, Urban Subsurface and Groundwater Systems, Deltares
This research project examines how private and public stakeholders in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium are dealing with new housing development in areas affected by the 2021 flood. It aims to answer questions about the intersection of flood risk management (FRM) and urban development planning by exploring such issues as private sector resistance, city management challenges, political priorities, municipal enforcement of regulations, and the impact of insurance and higher levels of government on risk minimization in the aftermath of the July 2021 flood.
The research partners aim to identify past and present stakeholders and their connections in FRM and housing development within the Ahr River basin, which spans the borders between the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. They will also evaluate whether these stakeholders considered the common river basin in their planning before and after the 2021 flood. Finally, they will compare the findings from this project with findings from an earlier study that focused on urban flooding in Ottawa, Ontario, to pinpoint best practices for multijurisdictional FRM. Ultimately, this research project will produce insights to inform decision-making processes related to new housing in Canada.