The main objective of the project is to assess the effectiveness of non-technical flood protection measures used in flood risk management, based on the experiences from Germany and Poland. In order to achieve this, it was decided to identify the relationships between changes in the development of flood-prone areas (1990-2018) on the example of the two countries and the evolution of legislation determining the development in these areas.
According to the assumptions, the identification of changes in a historical perspective is to allow for the development of methods and procedures helpful in forecasting the development of buildings in these areas. Knowledge of the extent of flooding in the countries studied and development within their borders will, in turn, make it possible to plan the evacuation process and identify recommendations for changes in its organisation, which may occur as a result of development within flood-prone areas.
The project put forward the following hypothesis: Different approaches to the role of rivers in the socio-economic development of the country and spatial planning within flood-prone areas in Poland and Germany reflect different development patterns in these areas.
The general research plan for the project proposed for funding consists of twelve main stages. In addition to collecting materials necessary for its implementation, an analysis of changes in the development of areas at risk of flooding in the years 1990-2018 in both countries will be carried out. Development patterns will be determined based on it
– says Dr Marta Borowska-Stefańska.
The legal conditions in the context of the study areas in both countries, as well as analyses of the transport accessibility of services involved in the evacuation of people from flood-prone areas during a disaster will also be analysed.
We have been cooperating with Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, within the scope of topics related to flood risk management, since 2021. As part of the Polish team, four people representing the Institute of the Built Environment and Spatial Policy participate in the project, including me (as the project coordinator), Dr Michał Kowalski, Dr Edyta Masierek and Prof. Szymon Wiśniewski. In turn, the team in Germany consists of two people, Prof. dr inż. Christian Diller and Jan Moritz Gros. This cooperation, especially in the context of analyses related to flood risk management, is very valuable to us. A joint publication will be one of its effects
– adds the project coordinator.
As part of the Polish part of the project, two scientific visits to Germany have been planned. In turn, the German side will finance two visits of people from the University of Giessen to Lodz.