Disaster risk management, climate change adaptation and the role of spatial and urban planning: evidence from European case studies
Authors (first, second and last of 4)
Collection
Special Issue: Territorial and Economic Impacts of Selected Natural Hazards in Europe
The objective of the ESPON-TITAN project was to analyze the distribution and territorial patterns of the impacts of the natural hazards, floods, windstorms, drought and earthquakes, across European regions – both direct and indirect – as place-based evidence to support the identification of the most vulnerable areas. Moreover, the project aimed to identify existing measures on disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA) measures at different policy levels, that may be effective and should be recommended to mainstreaming DRM and CCA in spatial planning and territorial development policies. The project lasted from September 2019 till June 2021 and was funded by the European Territorial Observatory Network (ESPON).
The analysis of economic impacts was based on damage-distribution matrices and input-output tables to measure disaster risk monetarily. The territorial vulnerability assessment was, in turn, developed through a methodology based on a principal component analysis, considering indicators related to susceptibility and coping capacity. The current risk assessment and management practices were analyzed by means of a desktop study on existing legislative frameworks and guidance documents from all member states.
By considering a multiscale perspective, the project supported its Pan-European findings through eight case studies that encompass trans-national, national, regional and local scales, with distinguished aspects – in some cases with special consideration to one particular type of hazards, in others on the operational existing cooperation and collaboration between involved entities. Besides the case studies stakeholders, a wider range of external experts, institutions and networks have also been engaged in one of more parts of the research, sharing experiences and impressions on the methodology and results. The involvement of actors from different scale in the discussions (European, cross-border, national, regional and local), as well as from a wide range of backgrounds, has led to a rich variety of perspectives and contributions. Experienced institutions, such as EEA and JRC, have been part of the debate on methodological approaches and results at different stages of the development of the project.
The results developed as part of ESPON-TITAN were translated into policy recommendations, aiming to assist the political debate on how the territorial impacts of natural hazards affect the territory and what the consequences of having coherent policies in place may be, at the same time reinforcing the need of integrating DRM and CCA strategies into planning instruments.
Editors
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Stefan Greiving
TU Dortmund University Department of Spatial Planning Research Group IRPUD August-Schmidt-Straße 10 44227 Dortmund Germany e-mail: stefan.greiving@tu-dortmund.de
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Daniel Navarro
TECNALIA Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA) Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia Astondo Bidea, Edificio 700, E-48160 Derio Spain
Articles (3 in this collection)
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ESPON-TITAN: territorial patterns of natural hazards in Europe
Authors (first, second and last of 5)
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Territorial vulnerability to natural hazards in Europe: a composite indicator analysis and relation to economic impacts
Authors (first, second and last of 5)
