Abstract
Flood risk consists of complex and dynamic problems, whose management calls for innovative ways of engaging with a wide range of local stakeholders, many of whom lack the technical expertise to engage with traditional flood risk management practices. Participatory approaches offer potential for involving these stakeholders in decision‐making, yet limited advice is available to users in choosing which techniques to employ and what they might expect them to deliver. Assessing the effectiveness of participatory approaches in local flood risk management is a critical step towards better understanding how community resilience is built. This article presents a framework for evaluating participatory approaches to flood risk management that covers four evaluation elements (context, process, substantive, and social outcomes). Practical success criteria are provided for evaluation, with references indicating where further advice and guidance can be sought. Criteria are tailored to the requirements of flood risk management, and aim to be sufficiently flexible for the framework to be easily transferable.
Highlights
Shifts in the governance of flood risk in England, from statecentred management towards “greater reliance on horizontal, hybrid, and associated forms of government” (Hill & Lynn, 2005, p. 173) have paralleled increased emphasis on stakeholder participation.Following the 2007 Pitt Review into UK flooding (Pitt, 2008), several policy changes were introduced by the Flood and Water Management Act (2010), strengthening and clarifying the responsibilities of local authorities as “Lead Local Flood Authorities,” tasking them with the development of flood risk management strategy at the local level (TwiggerRoss et al, 2014)
These responsibilities, alongside a new partnership funding approach, which shares the costs of flood defences between national and local funding sources (DEFRA, 2011), necessitates greater public participation in flood risk management
2.1 | Dimensions of effectiveness Effective participatory processes are essential to building community flood resilience
Summary
Following the 2007 Pitt Review into UK flooding (Pitt, 2008), several policy changes were introduced by the Flood and Water Management Act (2010), strengthening and clarifying the responsibilities of local authorities as “Lead Local Flood Authorities,” tasking them with the development of flood risk management strategy at the local level (TwiggerRoss et al, 2014). These responsibilities, alongside a new partnership funding approach, which shares the costs of flood defences between national and local funding sources (DEFRA, 2011), necessitates greater public participation in flood risk management. Increased public involvement in risk management raises both risk awareness and event preparedness, demonstrated by the appropriate actions taken by the public before and during flood events; second, the local population may provide knowledge that is fruitful for risk prevention efforts; third, the involvement of the public legitimises processes and enhances the acceptance of prevention measures; and, the coping and adaptive capacity
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