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On Thursday, 30 November at 10:00 the public seminar "Local level flood resilience in England and the Netherlands" takes place in room M-328. 

The speakers are Dr Elen-Maarja Trell ja her PhD student Steven Forrest.

ABOUT SEMINAR: This presentation provides an overview of Steven Forrest’s PhD research into local level flood resilience in England and the Netherlands. It starts by outlining the flood hazard contexts of England and the Netherlands, before focusing more on their flood risk management approaches and the shift towards ‘flood resilience’. The concept of ‘flood resilience’ is then described further with three challenges drawn out: 1) the ambiguous theoretical conceptualisation and operationalisation of flood resilience, 2) the lack of clarity over changing roles/responsibilities of citizens and civil society, and 3) the limited critical perspective of flood resilience. These issues are briefly discussed before a research strategy to investigate these challenges further, undertaken during the PhD project, is presented. Two different frameworks for operationalising flood resilience, based on literature review are presented, alongside data on the role of citizens in flood risk management and the critiques that emerge with the shift towards greater citizen involvement in flood risk management in different contexts.

ABOUT Steven Forrest: He is a PhD researcher in the Spatial Planning and Environment Department at the University of Groningen. He is currently in the fourth and final year of his PhD, the focus of which is on ‘Flood resilience at the local level in the UK and the Netherlands’. Steven is particularly interested in the role that local level actors play in flood resilience and their associated influences on local governance arrangements. The role of citizens organized for example in groups and initiatives such as the flood groups in England, is a focus of his PhD research. Furthermore, the distribution of flood risk and resources, power relations between local actors, and justice are topics touched upon throughout his research. Understanding the local level in this way can benefit attempts to improve flood resilience in the face of predicted climate change-induced increases in flooding.

ABOUT Dr. Elen-Maarja Trell: Overall, Dr. Elen-Maarja Trell's work centers around the 'social side' of spatial planning. She is predominantly interested in the role of local level initiatives, social innovation and collective action in creating more resilient and sustainable places. The themes she explores within this context include: community resilience and the relevance of cooperative action in declining (rural) areas, flood resilience and local flood action groups, urban food systems and food policy, and the governance of renewable energy initiatives. Dr. Elen-Maarja Trell is specialized in using qualitative, visual and (inter)active research methods such as (participatory) video, mental mapping and go-along interviews. Her previous research projects explored young people's place attachment and influential aspects for well-being of rural youths (problem behavior; gender roles; citizenship) in their everyday context.

Field/Discipline: Geography, Urban Studies, Planning & Development