Research and Studies

Cities and Flooding: A Guide to Integrated Urban Flood Risk Management for the 21st Century

02 04 2012 cities and flooding guidebook png

Cities and Flooding: A Guide to Integrated Urban Flood Risk Management for the 21st Century provides comprehensive, forward-looking operational guidance on how to manage the risk of fl oods in a rapidly transforming urban environment and changeable climate. The Guide serves as a primer for decision and policy makers, technical specialists, central, regional and local government offi cials, and concerned stakeholders in the community sector, civil society and non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

The Guide starts with A Summary for Policy Makers which outlines and describes the key areas which policy makers need to be knowledgeable about to create policy directions and an integrated strategic approach for urban fl ood risk management. The Summary concludes with 12 guiding policy principles for integrated fl ood risk management.

The core of the Guide consists of seven chapters, organized as follows: Chapter 1. Understanding Flood Hazard Chapter 2. Understanding Flood Impacts Chapter 3. Integrated Flood Risk Management: Structural Measures Chapter 4. Integrated Flood Risk Management: Non-Structural Measures Chapter 5. Evaluating Alternative Flood Risk Management Options: Tools for Decision Makers Chapter 6. Implementing Integrated Flood Risk Management Chapter 7. Conclusion: Promoting Integrated Urban Flood Risk Management

Each chapter starts with a full contents list and a summary of the chapter for quick reference. It is then made up of sections which combine general narrative on key aspects of urban fl ood risk management, case study evidence in the form of lessons from the field on the methods and techniques of fl ood risk management, both positive and where relevant problematic, and “How To” sections on necessary and immediate operational tasks. Each chapter contains a full reference list. This is augmented by lists of further readings for operational tasks.

Download main report file

Download file

Resource collections