Effective and Sustainable Flood and Landslide Risk Reduction Measures:An Investigation of Two Assessment Frameworks

Natural events such as floods and landslides can have severe consequences.The risks are expected to increase,both as a consequence of climate change and due to increased vulnerabilities,especially in urban areas.Although preventive measures are often cost-effective,some measures are beneficial to certain values,while some may have negative impacts on other values.The aim of the study presented here was to investigate two frameworks used for assessing the effectiveness and sustainability of physical and nonphysical flood and landslide risk reduction measures.The study is based on literature,available information from authorities and municipalities,expert knowledge and experience,and stakeholder views and values.The results indicate that the risks for suboptimization or maladaptation are reduced if many aspects are included and a broad spectrum of stakeholders are involved.The sustamability assessment tools applied here can contribute to a more transparent and sustainable risk management process by assessing strategies and interventions with respect to both short- and long-term perspectives,including local impacts and wider environmental impacts caused by climate change,for example.The tools can also cover social and economic aspects.The assessment tools provide checklists that can support decision processes,thus allowing for more transparent decisions.

The Sustainable Procedure Framework for Disaster Risk Management: Illustrated by the Case of the EU Floods Directive in Sweden

How can the concrete meaning of the ambiguous and theoretical concept of sustainable development(SD) be defined and implemented, without losing sight of its fundamental principles? This study introduces a theoretical framework that supports studies of SD implementation in the context of strategic disaster risk management, by defining what SD implies with regard to planning procedures. The framework is based on the procedural SD principles of participation and integration. It was originally developed for,and has shown great value in, the field of water resource management. In-depth interviews with senior risk management researchers indicate that the framework is also applicable to and valuable for disaster risk management studies.To illustrate the application of the framework, a study of the EU Floods Directive in Sweden is summarized with the framework as the basis for the analysis.