Abstract
This paper deals with how culture is expressed through the interplay of socially, politically, and economically driven processes and practices in place-based biophysical contexts as well as the role played by narrative expressions in the formation of coastal risk management, knowledge and action. It draws upon ethnographic, comparative, and historical approaches to understand how culture frames what we know and how we respond differently to risks. The research is based on the theoretical position that interpretation of risks and responses of social groups are shaped by frames of cultural knowledge and values, and investigates the influence resident’s values have in shaping the resilience of their community in two coastal regions in Germany and Italy. Information was derived from desk research, semi-structured, narrative interviews, and observation. Specifically, the author was interested in how residents’ views and narratives affected their risk behavior, shaped their needs and which role path dependencies and societal contexts played in the formation of risk knowledge, risk management and action. The author found that values, knowledge and identity highly matter in building community resilience. Moreover, the cases illustrate how past and present societal trajectories shape local and regional responses to climate change and why this concerns political decision makers at all levels, who are aiming to mainstream mitigation and adaptation strategies confronting climate change effects and in turn shaping resilience at local and regional levels.
Highlights
Recent and historic high-impact events have led to significant flood risks in many coastal areas in Europe and across the globe
Results are discussed concerning the role of local risk cultures in relation to flood risk management and how the formation of knowledge and action relates to resilience and management in the case study sites presented
Given the different nature of coastal risk cultures in both case study sites, suggestions for improvement of risk management in the cases are broad in scope but narrow in the way that participation of local residents seem to be underrepresented in public coastal risk planning
Summary
Recent and historic high-impact events have led to significant flood risks in many coastal areas in Europe and across the globe. Between 1998 and 2018, Europe suffered from over 229 major damaging floods. These floods have caused more than 1600 deaths, the displacement of about half a million people and at least €52 billion in insured economic losses (EEA, 2019). Of the thirty largest cities in the world, 20 are in coastal areas and endangered by global climate change and associated sea level rise. Inundation, erosion and other risks are expected to increase due to our changing climate as well as the further development of coastal regions, and will require appropriate prevention, mitigation, and preparedness measures (World Economic Forum [WEF], 2019). The management and communication of risks has become a major question of public policy (Alexander, 2000)
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