Studying residents’ flood risk perceptions and sense of place to inform public participation in a Dutch river restoration project

Bernadette F Van Heel,Riyan J.G Van Den Born

doi:10.1080/1943815x.2020.1799826

Bernadette F Van Heel, Riyan J.G Van Den Born

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/1943815x.2020.1799826

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Public participation is becoming increasingly important in integrative river restoration projects. However, studies show that flood risk awareness is generally low among residents of flood-prone areas, making it (more) difficult for project managers to involve the public. We contribute to understanding this generally low flood risk perception by carrying out a survey (N = 631) among residents in a Dutch floodplain and studying the connection between flood risk perception and sense of place. We found that expected damage is influenced by (collective) memory of near-floods and that residents with a high self- and group efficacy expect less damage. Against our hypothesis, we conclude that sense of place hardly influences flood risk perception, only nature bonding does. We recommend further research to study the complex relationships between flood risk perception, sense of place and self-efficacy from a theoretical need, but also because of the implications of these results for communication in flood risk management and motivations to engage in participation processes.

Highlights

As a way of adapting to climate change and reducing flood risk, the trend became to rely on rivers’ natural resilience by restoring rivers instead of canalizing them (Smith et al 2014; Speed et al 2016)
We study the concepts self-efficacy and sense of place in relation to residents’ propensity to ignore flood risk, a passive coping strategy aimed at reducing internal tension instead of active coping strategies aimed at reducing risk or its consequences (Lemée et al 2019)
The adherence to the sense of place factors indicates that the residents have a strong bond with their residential area, especially through nature bonding and less through social and narrative bonding

Summary

Introduction

As a way of adapting to climate change and reducing flood risk, the trend became to rely on rivers’ natural resilience by restoring rivers instead of canalizing them (Smith et al 2014; Speed et al 2016). The technical approach towards reducing flood risk changed towards a more integrative approach since the 1970s. Instead of a “traditional” focus on only flood reduction, the trend arose to increasingly integrate the natural and human system, and local perspectives were included via participation processes (Agarwal et al 2000; Smith et al 2014), though the technical approach remains strong in the Netherlands (Kaufmann 2018). Multiple typologies of participation arose with different levels and methods (Mostert 2003; Reed 2008). There has been an increasingly holistic integrative approach

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