Flood vulnerability assessment of built cultural heritage: Literature review and identification of indicators

Abstract

Flood risk is a pressing global concern, especially given its intensification by climate change. Likewise, events in the recent past have highlighted the need to implement adequate flood risk mitigation measures in cultural heritage. The effective mitigation of flood-related impacts to cultural heritage requires flood risk assessment to be based on appropriate methods. However, such methods are scarce and often limited in their ability to evaluate multiple assets and their expected vulnerability. In particular, there is a need for streamlined methods providing an adequate balance between accuracy and simplicity of application that can be used in large-scale analyses or expedite asset-level assessments. Among the various conceptual approaches currently available, indicator-based methods are seen as a straightforward solution to address this gap. In this context, this study provides a comprehensive review of existing literature addressing flood vulnerability assessment for built cultural heritage assets and ordinary buildings to establish a new set of Flood Vulnerability Indicators (FLOVIs) tailored specifically for built cultural heritage. The collected data was synthesized to establish twenty-two FLOVIs that can be used for developing new flood vulnerability assessment approaches for different types of built cultural heritage assets. The FLOVIs are discussed in detail, underscoring specific aspects that are crucial to understand the flood vulnerability of built cultural heritage assets.