Are local administrations really in charge of flood risk management governance? The Spanish Mediterranean coastline and its institutional vulnerability issues

Abstract

Over recent decades, the number of people and the capital invested in flood-prone areas has undergone a significant increase worldwide, particularly in coastal areas. There are several studies that show how the influence of socio-economic factors over local planning authorities seems to be the main reason for exposure increase. This paper explores the causes and consequences of inefficient flood risk governance along the Spanish Mediterranean coastal municipalities. For that purpose, national and regional flood management policies were contrasted with the outcomes of a spatial intersection between cadastral data at local level and floodable areas, for different return periods (10, 50, 100 and 500 years). The results demonstrate a significant growth in exposure due to inefficient spatial planning and flood reduction strategies.