Research areas in the Centre for Floods, Communities and Resilience (CFCR)

We focus on a range of flood specific themes reflecting the diversity and interdisciplinary nature of issues concerning the development of resilient communities. Particular attention is given to research explorations at the interstices of these themes

CFCR undertakes an on-going process of testing the resonance of these themes, with key stakeholders including the Environment Agency, local authorities, the National Flood Forum and flood risk management practitioners. These research areas are broadly associated with the following:

Community development and resilience

• Preparedness
• Flood recovery and resilient communities
• Property and community level flood adaptation
• Community flood education
• Planning flood receptive neighbourhoods
• Interaction of flood policy and governance with communities
• Capacity building for stakeholders in community flood risk management

Representation, perception and behaviour

• Psychology of risk
• Risk perception
• Memory and place

Water science and engineering

• Flooding and integrated water management
• Catchment processes
• Changing risk
• Human intervention and climate change
• Complexity and uncertainty
• Prediction
• Assets and defences
• Management of property
• Non-structural approaches
• Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDs)

Policy and governance

• Insurance
• Flood risk management strategies
• Institutional structures
• Funding mechanisms
• Localism
• Regulatory frameworks
• Community lead adaptation planning
• Issues of compensation
• Property rights aspects of flooding and flood management
• Compulsory purchase
• Flooding and environmental regulation

Cross cutting themes

• Scaling (up and down from 'local')
• Education
• Knowledges ('expert'/ 'local'; integration)
• Communication (science)