As several drivers of quality of life are neighborhood-dependent, scale has been identified as a driver of social Vulnerability to the different stages of a flood. Also, the intersection of several characteristics (race, class, gender…) at the neighborhood level shows that group membership can be a source of social vulnerabilities.
Transportation: Transportation can be defined as the movement of people from one place to another thanks to vehicles. Inequalities in access to transportation can be an impediment to large-scale mobility and therefore be a source of Vulnerability. In fact, disparities in access to transportation alternatives and collective reliance on public transportation may jeopardize the success of evacuation plans. This forced immobility can encourage people to stay home instead of evacuating and also discourage them to come back home after a flood event.
Population density (i.e. the number of people using a same defined area): population and urban density (often linked to low income populations) can be social Vulnerability drivers to floods. It is especially true in developing metropolises which are often subject to population growth, unregulated urban sprawl and the number of schools per resident. Also, school density can reflect the educational background of people which is linked to access to damage compensation and satisfaction with regulations implemented linked to the damage.
➔ Example “Population density”: In Blois, France, La Bouille neighborhood underwent informal development, attracting a population mainly from the working classes and travelers. As the neighborhood is included into the flood zone perimeter, land prices were low, providing affordable housing for the working classes. The city decided to relocate the people living there in order to de-urbanize the area and restore a flood retention space in order to lower the Risk. However, people with marginal lifestyles (or even people in social distress and living in precarious housing) are currently living in that neighborhood.
Housing (i.e. all types of buildings and structures (formal or informal) where people live): mental suffering and feelings of being neglected have been highlighted within informal or uncontrolled neighborhood and illegal settlements areas. These types of neighborhoods usually lack qualitative drainage systems and infrastructures. Moreover, they are also excluded from participatory processes and politics which hinders their ability to access mechanisms to reduce their social Vulnerability. People living in moderate income neighborhoods can have difficulties returning to their homes after a flood event, leading to an enhanced Vulnerability. In fact, affordable accommodation is often rented and can undergo serious inflation as a consequence of a flood. This is due to insurance companies which monopolize available rental, leading to a lack of affordable housing and therefore hampering the reconstruction process.
➔ Exemple “Housing”: In Ault, France, coastal erosion is one of the biggest issues linked to flood Risk. Social inequalities have been highlighted between people living near to the coast (mostly high socio-economic status and luxurious housing) and people living inland (often lower socio-economic status). In Geraardsbergen, Belgium, social Vulnerability has been shown to vary between neighborhoods due to a combination of several characteristics such as family composition, health status, nationality, type of property, income, etc. More specifically, the city center neighborhood seems to be highly vulnerable to flood as a fifth of the city’s inhabitants live there and up to 70 to 80% of people with increased social Risk (for example people receiving welfare benefits) live in that same neighborhood.
Looking at Vulnerability at the neighborhood scale allows us to emphasize that not all social vulnerabilities can be addressed by looking at individuals only. To ensure more Equality based on the identification of vulnerabilities, it might be relevant to act and/or implement measures at the neighborhood scale.
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