Flood risk reduction is one of humankind’s major challenges, especially for the people who live near water. In the Netherlands, the increase in economic activities and the number of people living in vulnerable areas have urged the development of new safety standards to further reduce flooding risks. The national government and regional water authorities are now working toward achieving these standards in the Flood Protection Programme (or HWBP, in Dutch). In this programme, about 2/3 of the 3,500 km of primary flood defences in the Netherlands will be reinforced over the next three decades. The All-Risk research programme, which ran from 2017 to 2022, was carried out to support the implementation of the HWBP.
After five years of research, we are pleased to share the All-Risk legacy contained in this book with dike professionals and everybody else interested in flood risk. The book starts out by sketching the technical and legal implications of the new risk-based approach, and its associated challenges and opportunities. Separate chapters then address the five All-Risk themes, ranging from the risk framework to the legal implementation. The text summarises the main outcomes of 15 individual PhD projects from researchers working in five universities, together with over 30 partners from the government, research institutes, NGOs and the private sector. The focus lies on their innovative contributions and recommendations. Each chapter further includes storylines of case study applications and concludes with reflections from webinar discussions between representatives from research and practice.
Last modified: 12/05/2022