Flood Resilience and Adaptation in the Built Environment: How Far along Are We?

Abstract

Cities are experiencing an increased rate of climate-related extreme events threats derived from climate change. Floods are one of the most challenging issues to address to reduce damages and losses in urban areas. Building resilience through adaptation to these changing conditions has become a common goal for different disciplines involving planning for the future. Adaptation planning is widely recognized as generally applicable to any field. However, there are current limitations to overcome for architectural and urban planning to switch from theory to practice. This paper proposes a critical overview of literature works on flood mitigative strategies and adaptive approaches considering uncertainties, linking strategies for the Built Environment (BE) to mitigate the effects of floods, and operative frameworks to pursue adaptation under changing environmental conditions. The literature selection accounts for the pivotal components of the BE: open spaces (OSs), buildings, and users. Next, we provide an overview of the most relevant adaptive methodologies that have emerged in literature, and, lastly, the planning strategies are discussed, considering the climate-related uncertainties that might undermine the effectiveness of the designed action. The present paper aimed to provide a contribution to the discussion regarding the necessity of making architectural and urban planning adaptive, providing a base for future studies for operative adaptation.

Integrative approaches to urban resilience: Evaluating the efficacy of resilience strategies in mitigating climate change vulnerabilities

“… [ 79 , 80 ] Step 5: Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of resilience strategies over time Long-term monitoring and evaluation of resilience initiatives, use of performance indicators and metrics to assess progress, and identify areas for improvement. [ 27 , 81 ] …”

“…Second, it is important to note that some tactics have the potential to unintentionally amplify social disparities if they are not meticulously planned and executed. This may occur, for instance, when these strategies disproportionately favor certain social groups while neglecting others or when they result in relocation [ 81 ]. Third, another obstacle pertains to the complexity and unpredictable nature of urban systems, which makes it difficult to accurately predict the outcomes of resilience strategies [ 45 ].…”