The role of place attachment in proactive and reactive adaptation to flood risk

This! research! examines! the! role!of! relationship! with! place! in! reactive!and! proactive! adaptation! to! flood! risk! in! England.! There! is! currently! little! research! into! how! floods! affect! relationship! with! place! and! how! this! relationship! may! determine! adaptive! behaviour.! As! the! social! limits! to! adaptation! are! increasingly! recognised,! theories! about! relationship! with! place!offer!a!new!perspective!as!to!how!flood!risk!is!interpreted!and!acted! on.! This! research! examines! how! place! attachment! and! place! meaning! interacts!with!flood!risk!at!the!household!and!community!scale,!and!the!role! of!place!attachment!in!involvement!in!adaptation!planning!decisions.! ! Fieldwork!took!place!in!two!locations,!Cumbria,!where!adaptation!measures! were!in!response!to!flooding!that!occurred!in!2009!and!Barnes,!an!area!that! is! at! risk! of! flooding! and! is! part! of! the! Thames! Estuary! 2100! plan! that! addresses!flood!risk!in!the!coming!century.!Place!attachment,!place!meaning,! social! capital! and! trust! in! institutions! were! examined! using! faceQtoQface! surveys!(n=380).!In!order!to!gain!a!deeper!understanding!of!the!relationship! between! place! and! flood! experience! inQdepth! interviews!were! carried! out! with!fourteen!older!adults!in!Cumbria.!! ! The! study! finds! that! place! attachment! predicts! choices! and! behaviours! in! proQactive!adaptation!to!flood!risk.!When!adaptation!is!reactive!the!strength! of! the! relationship! between! adaptation! behaviour! and! place! attachment! weakens.! Following! a! flood,! place! related! meanings! change,! this! research! finds! that! social!aspects!of!place!become!more! important! to! the! individual! and! shape! how! place! is! experienced! and! can! act! to! increase! adaptive! capacity.! ! These! findings! demonstrate! the! dynamic! nature! of! relationship! with! place! and! suggest! that! place! attachment! plays! a! different! role! in! involvement!in!adaptation!decisions!depending!on!whether!behaviour!is!in! anticipation!of,!or!in!reaction!to,!environmental!risk.!!

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of East Anglia

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Quinn, Tara

Language dc:language

en