BRIDGES OVER TROUBLED WATERS: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS WITHIN FRAGMENTED DOMESTIC FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

摘要

Diversification of strategies in flood risk management (FRM) is widely regarded as a necessary step forward in terms of reducing the likelihood and magnitude of flooding, as well as minimising the exposure of people and property and, in turn, the disruption, economic damage, health impacts and other adverse consequences that ensue when floods occur. Thus, diversification is often heralded as an essential condition for enhancing societal resilience to flooding. However, an inevitable consequence of diversifying strategies and practices in FRM is that it can lead to fragmentation within FRM systems, in terms of the distribution of responsibilities between actors and governing rules enacted within different policy domains. This can prove detrimental to the effectiveness of FRM. Building upon the notion of fragmentation developed in legal and governance literature, this article introduces the concept of 'bridging mechanisms', ie instruments that remedy fragmentation by enhancing intercon-nectedness between relevant actors through information transfer, coordination and cooperation. This article develops a typology of both fragmentation and bridging mechanisms and analyses their relations, partly drawing upon empirical research conducted within the EU 'STAR-FLOOD' Project. In turn, this article outlines a novel interdisciplinary methodological framework for evaluating the degree and quality of the interconnectedness within fragmented domestic FRM systems. A pragmatic, flexible and broadly applicable tool, this framework is suited for both academic purposes and for practically oriented analysis and (re)development of fragmented FRM systems, and potentially other fragmented systems, within the EU and abroad.