Three Points Approach (3PA) for urban flood risk management: A tool to support climate change adaptation through transdisciplinarity and multifunctionality

Figures & data

Figure 1. The Three Points Approach scheme. Both the axes are on a logarithmic scale. The horizontal axis represents the flood return period and the vertical axis represents the magnitude of the rain event in terms of costs of maintenance and damage of the urban infrastructure.

Table 1. Number of stakeholder categories and sub-categories and number of interviewees associated with them.

Stakeholder category	Number of interviewees
Water Professionals	16
✓ Consulting companies	6
✓ Municipality	5
✓ Regional water management	2
✓ Research institutions	3
Urban planners	2
Natural Scientists/biologists	2
✓ Consulting companies	1
✓ Regional agency – regulator	1
Insurance companies	1
Lay persons	14
✓ Local representatives	5
✓ Directly involved in local projects	5
✓ Experienced flooding	3
✓ NGOs volunteers	1

Table 2. 11 aspects defining the values stakeholders involved in decisions related to UFRM may assign to water infrastructure and services within the urban area. Adapted from (Lems, 2008; Dooyeweerd, 1953; Lems &Valkman, 2003; Geldof 2005)

Symbol	Aspect	Meaning	In relation to Urban Water
	Biotic	Related to life processes and nature	Water is the first condition for the life of all species. Its quality and quantity have a strong influence on the quality of life of humans within the urban area. The presence of nature and a variety of species is a fundamental value for humans' health.
	Sensitive	Related to perception	Water can stimulate positively or negatively all human's senses: sight, taste, hearing, smell and physical contact. When water stinks, its presence becomes unpleasant. When water is fresh and clean, people can bath in it.
	Logical	In relation to the physical, chemical and mathematical functions	Urban water is part of the water cycle. It has chemical and physical characteristics that can be represented with the use of mathematics. Nowadays water behaviour can be modelled, monitored and partially controlled.
	Historical	In relation to history, traditions and origins. In this sense, pedagogical to new generations	Humans have always needed water and tried to control it. Sometimes historical water structures remain within the urban environment. New generation can always learn from the past. Tourism usually appreciates the presence of historical structures.
	Linguistic	In relation to symbols and communication of values	Language is a fundamental tool for communication of feelings and opinions but also rules. Communication about water can occur by road signs but can also be tacit, unwritten. Unwritten symbols are not always easy to detect. They are part of the local culture. They are maintained alive by storytelling. Communication is also an important tool to find agreement. In order to communicate, people need to share the same language or linguistic tool and have a shared understanding about them.
	Social	Dealing with people and the way they meet and communicate with each other	The urban area is a place where people socialize. Water usually attracts people. Its presence can increase the opportunity of meeting the others. People usually like to walk along a river or sit in front of a lake.
	Economic	In relation to costs and efficiency	The costs of water are related to space, resources and development. Thus efficiency is important. Costs versus benefits have to be considered. On the other hand some benefits can be: 1) not easily countable at present because their benefits relate to possible risks in the future whose level of uncertainty is very high; 2) not tangible, as the increase in quality of life and in environmental quality
	Aesthetic	In relation to beauty and that which is desired.	Water can improve the aesthetics of the urban area in two directions: increasing the presence of water and nature within the urban space; enhancing the representation of art through harmonic architecture in the urban landscape.
	Legal	Related to laws and official rules	Water quality and quantity in the urban area is regulated by laws and guidelines.
	Ethical	In relation to what is morally “good” and to responsibility	“Good” water management is not the sole responsibility of the municipal management. Citizen should be aware of their responsibility for the maintenance of water structures and resources.
	Ideal	In relation to convictions and beliefs, the opinion of the group, religion, and to what is desirable	Water is part of the community. It is used for common rituals related to cultural habits. As a consequence each stakeholder has inevitably his/her own idea of what should be the desirable management of water resources within the urban area.

Figure 2. A conceptual description of the urban area as context of the decision making process in UFRM. This is just a representation of the complexity characterising an urban context where the technical, social and natural systems interact. However, the characteristics of the context change from project to project and from location to location.

Table 3. Overview of the key stakeholder categories identified in the analysed case studies and the aspects they prioritised during the interviews.

Stakeholder category	Characteristics	Prioritised water aspects
Water professionals	• Manage public or private organisations working with urban water facilities • In charge of finding solutions • Maintain service level and functionality of water infrastructures • Modellers/practitioners directly operating present water infrastructures • Work in municipality or private company	• Assessing solutions: Logical, Economic, Legal • Presenting options to the project sponsors: Logical, Economic • Cooperating with other professionals: Logical, Linguistic Economic, Legal • Discussing solutions with stakeholders: Logical, Linguistic, Economic, Ethical
Urban planners	• Manage municipal departments in charge of urban infrastructure not directly related with water • Organise urban space • Responsible for new plans and visions	• New planning: Logical, Economic, Social, Historical, Aesthetic • Communicating with stakeholders: Lingustic, Social
Architects/Landscape architects	• Design urban infrastructures and green areas • Create visions • Major driver is creativity	• Creating visions: Aesthetics, Social, Sensitive, Historical, Ideal, Ethical • Communicating with stakeholders: Linguistic
Natural Scientists/Biologists	• Knowledgeable about natural processes in relation to environmental quality and human health • Prevent new infrastructure implementations from impacting the environment and human health negatively.	• Assessing impacts: Biotic, Legal, Logic, Sensitive, Ethical, Ideal, Legal • Controlling and maintaining: Linguistic, Legal, Ethical, Ideal
Lay persons	• Live and work in the urban area • Have diverse drivers depending on many aspects (education, knowledge, wealth, interests, etc.) • Pay to receive services • Can vote to change political goals • Use urban infrastructures daily • Major driver: improving their own quality of life	• Prioritise aspects related with their life quality: Sensitive, Historical, Social, Economic, Aesthetic • Parception depends on cultural background: Ethical, Ideal • The Linguistic aspect is very important when involving them in decision making
Politicians/Municipality	• Comply with national guidelines • Work under financial constraints • Comcerned about citizen's happiness and safety • Seeking social support and power • Eager to maintain their prestige within the same mandate, want to be re-elected	• Setting constraints: Legal, Economic, Ethical, Ideal • Seeking social support: Sensitive, Historical, Social, Ideal, Aesthetic • The Linguistic aspect is central for them

Figure 3. The iterative process of UFRM when using the 3PA. The boxes list (non-exclusively) the main stakeholders that are important to include in the three domain discussions.