Stakeholder attributes and approaches in natural disaster risk management in the built environment: the case of flood risk management in transport infrastructure

摘要

The increasing number of natural disasters has demonstrated the importance of natural disaster risk management. There is little consensus regarding the role of stakeholder attributes in reducing flood damage and explaining stakeholder approaches. Local Councils are important stakeholders in flood risk management in transport infrastructure. Hence, the characteristics of floods, Local Councils’ stakeholder attributes, and the exposure and vulnerability of the socio-economic and transport infrastructure were contextualised to examine flood damage and Local Councils’ proactive and reactive approaches. This study examines three dominant Local Councils’ stakeholder attributes of power, legitimacy and urgency by focusing on flood damage and Local Councils’ proactive and reactive approaches. Data was collected from historical archive databases and a structured questionnaire survey involving Local Councils in New South Wales, Australia that covered the time period from 1992 to 2012. This data was analysed using multi-attribute decision-making and structural equation modelling with partial least square estimation approaches. udThe results show that the exposure and vulnerability of Australian states and territories to flood damage depend on both socio-economic and built environment conditions. The greater the flood characteristics such as frequency, severity and type, the greater the flood damage. The exposure and vulnerability of socio-economic and transport infrastructure of a Local Council have mediating effects on the direct relationship between their stakeholder attributes and flood damage. Proactive and reactive approaches by Local Councils are highly affected by stakeholder attributes. The developed stakeholder disaster response index shows that Local Councils have practised more reactive approaches than proactive approaches. Policy makers might use the stakeholder disaster response index through continuous assessment of proactive and reactive approaches to achieve a high level of flood risk management.