University of Twente Student Theses
Quantifying social vulnerability for decision-making on pluvial flood adaptation
Swinkels, M.W.A. (2023) Quantifying social vulnerability for decision-making on pluvial flood adaptation.
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| Abstract: | In the context of flood risk modelling, comprehensive studies are carried out on a global scale to gauge the likelihood and consequences of various flooding events. These studies often focus on the translation of risk into monetary values. However, the concept of social vulnerability is rarely taken into account. This research proposes a method to quantify social vulnerability with publicly available data on an as detailed as possible level for the Dutch urban setting. By tailoring the indicator list as proposed by Cutter et al. (2003) to the Dutch context, two Social Vulnerability Indices were created for the cities of Haarlem and Zwolle. These indices have been analysed and overlayed with maps of bottleneck locations for pluvial floods. The results showed clusters of high and low socially vulnerable areas in both cities of Haarlem and Zwolle. For both cities residential property appeared as an important factor for social vulnerability. In Haarlem, this was complemented by socioeconomic status and in Zwolle by race and ethnicity. The addition of bottleneck locations to the maps with social vulnerability learned that in Haarlem the less vulnerable part of society is larger but also has more locations at risk in case of a pluvial flood. In Zwolle, this is the other way around. The more vulnerable part of society is larger and has more locations at risk in case of a pluvial flood. To conclude, the Social Vulnerability Index makes it possible to quantify social vulnerability. This is an important step in applying the concept of social vulnerability in flood risk management. Implementation within the climate adaptation strategies of Haarlem and Zwolle would be possible in the prioritisation of measures to mitigate the effects of extreme precipitation. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | ET: Engineering Technology |
| Subject: | 56 civil engineering |
| Programme: | Civil Engineering and Management MSc (60026) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/97109 |
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