Legitimizing differentiated flood protection levels – Consequences of the European flood risk management plan. Issue 55 (January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hartmann, Thomas; Spit, Tejo
• Is Part Of: Environmental science & policy. Issue 55:Part 2(2016:Jan.)
• Page Start: 361
• Page End: 367
• Publication Date: 2016-01
• Subjects: (Concepts of) legitimacy -- Floods Directive -- Paradigm shift -- Flood risk -- Planning theory; Environmental policy -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; Sciences de l'environnement -- Périodiques; Environmental policy; Environmental sciences; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.70561
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2015.08.013
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1462-9011

Abstract

Highlights: The European flood risk management plan changes the measures of legitimacy. Traditionally, input legitimacy and output legitimacy prevail in flood risk management. Throughput legitimacy complements the traditional forms of legitimacy. This requires new approaches in flood risk management. Flood risk management is at the edge of a paradigm shift similar to the shift in spatial planning in the 1970s. Abstract: The European flood risk management plan is a new instrument introduced by the Floods Directive. It introduces a spatial turn and a scenario approach in flood risk management, ultimately leading to differentiated flood protection levels on a catchment basis. This challenges the traditional sources of legitimacy for flood risk management, which are predominantly founded on strong institutions and engineering solutions. Future flood risk management needs to incorporate stakeholders and citizens in the decision-making process because the choices for the flood risk management plan will be more normative and political. In terms of concepts of legitimacy, this means an increasing importance of throughput legitimacy, complementing input and output legitimacy. This change shares similarities with a paradigm shift in spatial planning around the 1970s. Therefore, this contribution argues that flood risk management, according to the European Floods Directive, can profit from experiences and approaches in spatial planning.