Ruth McKay receives SSHRC PEG for international collaboration about flood risk management and housing development

Congratulations to Dr. Ruth McKay, who has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Partnership Engage Grant (PEG) program. These grants, which support research excellence in the social sciences and humanities, are meant to respond to immediate needs and time constraints facing organizations in non-academic sectors.

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.

Banner image credit: Christophe Licoppe, European Commission, Wikimedia Commons