Rius i ciutats : amenaces i potencialitats

Els rius i les ciutats haurien de conviure en un equilibri dinàmic. Els rius proporcionen avantatges i mitjans per a la navegació, l'abastament d'aigua, i també per al lleure i l'esplai. Aquests poden proveir, també, fonts d'alimentació i fins i tot un lloc on viure, en una barca o en una casa flotant. Però també comporten riscos derivats de les inundacions i de la contaminació, que poden degradar la ciutat i els recursos, i provocar danys i alteracions. Cal que s'estableixi un equilibri entre l'explotació del potencial dels recursos de les localitzacions fluvials i els riscos que aquestes poden comportar. En el procés de millorar un riu en benefici de la ciutat on es troba s'han de considerar, doncs, una àmplia gamma de factors de manera integral i dirigits cap a polítiques sostenibles. Davant un enfocament d'aquest tipus, apareixeran barreres institucionals però qualsevol canvi sense aquestes garanties comportarà el predomini dels interessos restringits i locals per sobre de la conservació dels recursos naturals dels nostres rius.Los ríos y las ciudades deberían convivir en un equilibrio dinámico. Los ríos proporcionan ventajas y medios para la navegación, el abastecimiento de agua, y también un lugar donde vivir, en una barca o en una casa flotante. Pero también conllevan riesgos derivados de las inundaciones y de la contaminación, que pueden degradar la ciudad y los recursos, y provocar daños y alteraciones. Es necesario que se establezca un equilibrio entre la explotación del potencial de recursos de las localidades fluviales y los riesgos que éstas pueden comportar. Así pues, en el proceso de recuperación de un río se han de considerar múltiples factores de manera integral y dirigidos hacia políticas sostenibles. Ante este enfoque, aparecerán barreras institucionales pero cualquier cambio sin estas garantías comportará el predominio de los intereses restringidos y locales por encima de la conservación de los recursos naturales de nuestros ríos.Les rivières et les villes auraient de cohabiter dans un équilibre dynamique. Les rivières proportionnent des avantages et des moyens pour la navigation, approvisionnement en eau, ainsi que pour le temps de loisir. Les rivières peuvent aussi provisionner de ressources d'alimentation et même d'un endroit pour vivre, dans un bateau ou bien dans une maison flottante. Mais, au même temps, les rivières occasionnent des dangers comme conséquence des inondations et de la pollution, lesquels peuvent dégrader le réseau urbain et les ressources, et provoquer des dégâts et des altérations. Il est nécessaire d'établir un équilibre entre l'exploitation du potentiel des ressources des localisations fluviales et les dangers que peuvent occasionner. Dans le processus d'amélioration d'une rivière, au bénéfice de la ville oú elle est placée, il est nécessaire d'avoir présent un large ventail de facteurs d'une façon globale et dirigés vers des politiques soutenables. Front à cette type d'approche, font son apparition des contraintes institutionnelles, mais par contre, n'importe quel changement sans ce type de garanties présuppose la prédominance des intérêts restreins et locaux au-dessus du maintien des ressources naturelles des notres rivières.Rivers and cities should live together in dynamic equilibrium. The rivers provide assets and resources for navigation, water supply, recreation and amenity values. They can provide sources of food and even a place in which to live, on a river boat or houseboat. But they also comprise threats, from floods and pollution, which can degrade the urban fabric and resources, and create damage and disruption. A balance needs to be struck between the exploitation of the resource potential of riverside locations and the threats that these locations can bring. In the process of enhancing the river in the city account must also be taken of a large range of factors, in a holistic way and towards sustainable policies. There will be institutional barriers to such an approach, but change without these safeguards will mean that the natural assets of our rivers will not be conserved and narrow sectional interests will prevail

Managed retreat: a rare and paradoxical success, but yielding a dismal prognosis

Managed retreat (MR) involves permanent resettlement of existing households and communities away from areas at risk, here coastal flood risk. On post-Sandy Staten Island, New York, where MR has been successful, our research findings from interviews and a focus group of key stakeholders and commentators indicate there are very significant political impediments as well as financial constraints to MR programs being successful without the experience of a disaster and a repetitive sequence of hazardous events. Pre-disaster and long-term plans for reducing risks in such vulnerable areas are easy to advocate but not to implement. Many coastal locations globally will need some form of MR, where current risk is very high as a legacy of past decisions and where many communities will not be defendable against the expected future sea level rise. With leadership and community commitment locally MR agendas can and should be pursued: the optimistic scenario. But success appears likely only in the aftermath of a major disaster. This suggests strongly that we may have to await those inevitable disasters, and then be ready to act, rather than vice versa: a worrying conclusion and a dismal prognosis

Promoting adaptive flood risk management: the role and potential of flood recovery mechanisms

There is a high potential for recovery mechanisms to be used to incentivise the uptake of flood mitigation and loss reduction measures, undertake adaptation and promote community resilience. Indeed, creating a resilient response to flooding requires flood risk management approaches to be aligned and it needs to be ensured that recovery mechanisms to not provide disincentives for individuals and business to take proactive action to reduce risk. However, the degree to which it is desirable and effective for insurers and governments providing compensation to promote resilience and risk reduction depends upon how the cover or compensation is organised and the premiums which are charged. A review of international flood recovery mechanisms has been undertaken to identify firstly the types of schemes that exist and their characteristics. Analysis of existing instruments highlights that there are various potential approaches to encourage or require the uptake of flood mitigation and also discourage the construction of new development in high flood risk. However despite the presence of these instruments, those organising recovery mechanisms could be doing much more to incentivise increased resilience