Abstract
As a result of still more flood events in Denmark in the last few years, flood protection has received growing attention in many local communities. By law, in Denmark, protecting your property from flooding from the sea is a private responsibility. This obliges communities to debate their own flood risk and their ability and options to fund additional protection. However, creating and maintaining flood protection are challenging. The related negotiations frequently develop into conflicts, which prolong the processes. This research concludes that the main challenges are not the technical issues, but the planning and negotiation between different interests. The paper presents the results of four qualitative case studies of existing dikes and dike projects in Denmark. By applying a situated analysis, the controversies in each case have been unravelled, with the aim of understanding the deeper reasons behind them. The paper concludes that the controversies often revolve around broader issues in the local communities such as liveability and population decline, but also feed on less visible aspects to do with people’s long- and short-term experience of living and moving around in their local landscape. The results of the paper underline the need to move beyond risk assessments and meteorological calculations when flood risk protection projects are planned and managed. Other issues have to be included if conflicts are to be minimised and better solutions found.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Dike cooperative as way of administration dikes will be further explained in Sect. 3.5.
Lolland–Falster Brandvæsen, the local emergency management, covers both Islands.
Masnedø and Ore Strand were both placed in Vordingborg Municipality and under Midt- og Sydsjællands Brand og redning, the local emergency management.
References
Amundsen H (2012) Illusions of resilience? An analysis of community responses to change in northern Norway. Ecol Soc. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05142-170446
Amundsen H (2015) Place attachment as a driver of adaptation in coastal communities in Northern Norway. Local Environ 20(3):257–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2013.838751
Andersen KJ, Thorsten P, Jebens M, Thomsen M, Storm Henriksen L (2018) Revurdering Og Ajourføring Af Risikoområder for Oversvømmelse Fra Hav Og Vandløb Oversvømmelsesdirektivet Anden Planperiode. Kystdirektoratet, Lemvig
Baron N, Petersen LK (2015a) Understanding controversies in urban climate change adaptation. A case study of the role of homeowners in the process of climate change adaptation in Copenhagen. Nord J Sci Technol Stud 3(2):4–13. https://doi.org/10.5324/njsts.v3i2.2159
Baron N, Petersen LK (2015b) Climate change or variable weather: rethinking Danish homeowners’ perceptions of floods and climate. Reg Environ Change 15(6):1145–1155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0701-1
Begg C, Callsen I, Kuhlicke C, Kelman I (2018) The role of local stakeholder participation in flood defence decisions in the United Kingdom and Germany. J Flood Risk Manag 11(2):180–190. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12305
Bubeck P, Kreibich H, Penning-Rowsell EC, Botzen WJW, de Moel H, Klijn F (2017) Explaining differences in flood management approaches in Europe and in the USA—a comparative analysis. J Flood Risk Manag 10(4):436–445. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12151
Bubeck P, Wouter Botzen WJ, Laudan J, Jeroen C, Aerts JH, Thieken AH (2018) Insights into flood-coping appraisals of protection motivation theory: empirical evidence from Germany and France. Risk Anal 38(6):1239–1257. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12938
Buijs AE (2009) Public support for river restoration. A mixed-method study into local residents’ support for and framing of river management and ecological restoration in the Dutch floodplains. J Environ Manag 90(8):2680–2689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.02.006
Clarke A (2005) Situational analysis: grounded theory after the postmodern turn. Sage, Thousand Oaks
Dahlberg R, Albris K, Jebens M (2017) The baltic storm surge in November 1872: urban processes, gendered vulnerability and scientific transformations. In: Simonton D, Salmi H (eds) Catastrophe, gender and urban experience, 1648–1920. Routledge, New York, pp 177–198
Di Bucci D, Savadori L (2018) Defining the acceptable level of risk for civil protection purposes: a behavioral perspective on the decision process. Nat Hazards 90(1):293–324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-3046-5
Flyvbjerg B (2006) Five misunderstandings about case-study research. Qual Inq 12(2):219–245. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800405284363
Fyhn H, Baron N (2017) The nature of decision making in the practice of dwelling: a practice theoretical approach to understanding maintenance and retrofitting of homes in the context of climate change. Soc Nat Resour 30(5):555–568. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2016.1239149
Grothmann T, Reusswig F (2006) People at risk of flooding: why some residents take precautionary action while others do not. Nat Hazards 38(1–2):101–120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-005-8604-6
Hansen P (1879) Stormfloden Af 13. November 1872 Og de Arbejder Den Har Fremkladt På Laaland-Falster. Geografisk Tidsskrift 3:7–12
Hastrup K (2009) The question of resilience: social responses to climate change. Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, Copenhagen
Hornmoen H, Andersen NB (2015) Behersket og bekymret. En pandemirisiko med ulie ansigter i dansk og norsk presse. In: Roksvold T, Alnæs J, Hornmoen H (eds) Individet i journalistikken. Cappelen Damm akademisk, Oslo
Hutter G, Leibenath M, Mattissek A (2014) Governing through resilience? Exploring flood protection in Dresden, Germany. Soc Sci 3(2):272–287. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci3020272
Ingold T (1993) The temporality of the landscape. World Archaeol 25(2):152–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.1993.9980235
Ingold T (2000) The perception of the environment: essays on livelihood, dwelling and skill. Routledge, London
Ingold T, Kurttila T (2000) Perceiving the environment in Finnish Lapland. Body Soc 6(3–4):183–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357034X00006003010
IPCC (2018) Summary for policymakers. In: Masson-Delmotte V, Zhai P, Pörtner H O, Roberts D, Skea J, Shukla PR, Pirani A, Moufouma-Okia W, Péan C, Pidcock R, Connors S, Matthews J B R, Chen Y, Zhou X, Gomis M I, Lonnoy E, Maycock, Tignor M, Waterfield T(eds) Global warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty. World Meteorological Organization, Geneva
Jacobs MH, Buijs AE (2011) Understanding stakeholders’ attitudes toward water management interventions: role of place meanings. Water Resour Res. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009WR008366
Kelly G, Hosking K (2008) Nonpermanent residents, place attachment, and “sea change” communities. Environ Behav 40(4):575–594. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916507302246
Koerth J, Vafeidis AT, Hinkel J, Sterr H (2013) What motivates coastal households to adapt pro-actively to sea-level rise and increasing flood risk? Reg Environ Change 13(4):897–909. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-012-0399-x
Kuhlicke C, Callsen I, Begg C (2016) Reputational risks and participation in flood risk management and the public debate about the 2013 Flood in Germany. Environ Sci Policy 55(January):318–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.06.011
Kystbeskyttelsesloven (2019) Bekendtgørelse af lov om kystbeskyttelse m.v. LBK nr 57 af 21/01/2019. https://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/R0710.aspx?id=206430
Lane SN, November V, Landström C, Whatmore S (2013) Explaining rapid transitions in the practice of flood risk management. Ann Assoc Am Geogr 103(2):330–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2013.754689
Lechowska E (2018) What determines flood risk perception? A review of factors of flood risk perception and relations between its basic elements. Nat Hazards 94(3):1341–1366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-018-3480-z
Lo AY, Chan F (2017) Preparing for flooding in England and Wales: the role of risk perception and the social context in driving individual action. Nat Hazards 88(1):367–387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-2870-y
Mees HLP, Driessen PPJ, Runhaar HAC (2012) Exploring the scope of public and private responsibilities for climate adaptation. J Environ Plan Policy Manag 14(3):305–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2012.707407
Morgan M (2001) Risk communication: a mental models approach, 1st edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Nielsen LR (2019) Embracing and integrating spontaneous volunteers in emergency response—a climate related incident in Denmark. Saf Sci 120(December):897–905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.07.014
O’Neill E, Brereton F, Shahumyan H, Clinch JP (2016) The impact of perceived flood exposure on flood-risk perception: the role of distance. Risk Anal 36(11):2158–2186. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12597
Petersen LK (2018) Engaging with nature through the dwelling practices in garden landscapes. Soc Cult Geogr. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2018.1550803
Petersen T (1924) Stormfloden 1872. Geografisk Tidsskrift 24:16–24
Porthin M, Rosqvist T, Perrels A, Molarius R (2013) Multi-criteria decision analysis in adaptation decision-making: a flood case study in Finland. Reg Environ Change 13(6):1171–1180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-013-0423-9
Raymond CM, Brown G, Weber D (2010) The measurement of place attachment: personal, community, and environmental connections. J Environ Psychol 30(4):422–434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.08.002
Schmidt A, Striegnitz M, Kuhn K (2014) Integrating regional perceptions into climate change adaptation: a transdisciplinary case study from Germany’s North Sea Coast. Reg Environ Change 14(6):2105–2114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-012-0338-x
Stark A, Taylor M (2014) Citizen participation, community resilience and crisis-management policy. Aust J Polit Sci 49(2):300–315. https://doi.org/10.1080/10361146.2014.899966
Stedman RC (2006) Understanding place attachment among second home owners. Am Behav Sci 50:2
Thaler T, Hartmann T (2016) Justice and flood risk management: reflecting on different approaches to distribute and allocate flood risk management in Europe. Nat Hazards 83(1):129–147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2305-1
The Danish Emergency Management Agency (2018) National risk profile for Denmark. The Danish Emergency Management Agency, Birkerød
Thomas G (2011) How to do your case study: a guide for students and researchers. SAGE, London
Trentelman CK (2009) Place attachment and community attachment: a primer grounded in the lived experience of a community sociologist. Soc Nat Resour 22(3):191–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920802191712
Tyler J, Sadiq A, Noonan D (2019) A review of the community flood risk management literature in the USA: lessons for improving community resilience to floods. Nat Hazards 96(3):1223–1248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-019-03606-3
Verbrugge L, van den Born R (2018) The role of place attachment in public perceptions of a re-landscaping intervention in the River Waal (The Netherlands). Landsc Urban Plan 177(September):241–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.05.011
Witte K (1992) Putting the fear back into fear appeals: the extended parallel process model. Commun Monogr 59(December):329–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637759209376276
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Baron, N. Flood protection beyond protection against floods: how to make sense of controversies related to the building and maintenance of dikes in Denmark. Nat Hazards 103, 967–984 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04021-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04021-9