IRMA / SPONGE: Development of spatial planning instruments to improve river flood prevention and awareness

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 00.0174

Key words (English)

Spatial planning; regional planning; hazard zoning; flood management; interregional co-operation; burden sharing; information management; risk management; public awareness

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: (INTERREG)

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 15.1 Ausserhalb Rahmenprogramm

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: Technische Universität Darmstadt (D)

Abstract (English)

The floods and the risk in the Rhine basin can only effectively be reduced if, in addition to technical measures, spatial planning regulates land use in flood prone areas. Furthermore future detention areas as well as room for river functions must be safeguarded in a long term perspective. In addition spatial planning can influence the conditions for the genesis of floods by changing the land use in the catchment, which however, has only small effects on the main flood disasters.
The research team from the universities of Darmstadt and Berne, supported by experts from the Netherlands and Switzerland, worked out suggestions for European, national, regional and local spatial planning authorities.
In regard to spatial planning two groups of instruments were investigated in Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands:
· 'zoning instruments' (regulative instruments of regional planning, hazard zoning) and
· supporting 'soft' instruments (co-operation, incentives, information management).
The results are based on theoretical analysis and case studies:
In the framework of an interregional co-operation structure ('flood management alliance') the improved application of regulative instruments is recommended. Based on obligatory hazard maps graded for different planning levels, regional and local planning activities have to regulate the land use in flood prone and detention areas. An information management structure provides authorities and the public with necessary information to improve the integration of the needs of flood management into various fields of planning in an early stage.
Additional, financial compensation and burden sharing between downstream and upstream regions shall improve the acceptance and the realisation of detention measures. However, the local public is decisive for personal and institutional precaution. To raise public awareness information and integration of the local public have to be improved by adequate measures.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 00.0174