A co-evolving frontier between land and water: dilemmas of flexibility versus robustness in flood risk management

Abstract

Floods cause enormous damage on land and thus question the boundary between land and water in an extreme way. As floods increase in frequency and intensity, flood risk management must change from a resistance-based approach to a resilience approach. Whereas land uses require robust boundaries between land and water, the changing water system demands more flexible boundaries. This contribution discusses this tension from a theoretical perspective of resilience and co-evolution, using a socio-ecological systems approach. This offers a new perspective on the co-evolving frontier between land and water.

Keywords:

• flood management
• flexibility
• robustness
• resilience
• co-evolution