Effective flood resilience is something that can be cost-effectively implemented at the local level. This can range from improving the resilience of buildings and creating local flood action groups to having effective flood warning and drainage systems. Until now, however, such innovative flood resilience (FRe) technologies have not achieved significant market penetration in Europe, says Stephen Garvin of the UK’s Building Research Establishment and the project coordinator of SMARTEST, an EU-funded project.

“The sector remains unfulfilled with regards to its potential,” says Garvin. “The ‘business case’ indicates many tens of millions of properties and infrastructure assets at risk in the EU, but as yet only a few thousand are protected by FRe technology.” 

The business case for flood resilience

SMARTEST, completed in the summer of 2013, focused on accelerating the implementation of innovative flood resilience approaches – mostly from small to medium-sized companies – and on increasing their market presence.

In order to address this situation, the project developed an approach called ‘Six Steps Guidance’ to help both property owners and the building industry better understand how flood resilience through FRe technology is an investment in the future.

“These simple guidelines clearly explain the key requirements around assessing risk, specifying technology and installation, as well as seldom considered issues such as maintenance,” says Garvin. The Six Steps provides a template for others to develop guidance for their own country. All published material is available on the project’s website.

SMARTEST also highlighted the limited development to date of common standards for FRe technology in Europe, and provided guidance to both the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) and the European Commission. “The creation of harmonised standards will enable easier trade in technologies and products around Europe,” says Garvin.

A long-term vision

One of the long-term impacts of climate change will be increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, leading to a greater risk of flooding. SMARTEST’s research has highlighted that this is a local issue requiring local action, and that practical solutions, in the form of FRe technologies, exist. The time to act, however, is now.  

“Rotterdam, for example, which borders the river Rhine delta and constitutes one of the largest port areas in Europe, also contains about 400 km of canals and lies up to seven metres below sea level,” says Garvin. “The City of Rotterdam recently developed a strategy called ‘Water Vision 2030’, which describes how the city plans to both embrace its maritime character while ensuring the safety of its citizens from flooding.”

Learning from the experiences of urban areas such as Rotterdam, developing national best practice guidance and increasing the transferability of FRe technology across the EU should now be key areas for further research, he adds. Investing in smart flood resilience systems now will save Europe billions in clean-up costs in the future.

“The cost of damage from flooding is highly variable, but an average of around €25 000 can be spent putting a property back to its previous condition,” concludes Garvin. “With tens of millions of properties across Europe at risk of flooding, there is a clear case for flood resilience technologies that help to protect properties and communities. This project is a springboard for the next generation of FRe technology.”