The social geometry of collaborative flood risk management: a hydrosocial case study of Tillamook County, Oregon
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The social geometry of collaborative flood risk management: a hydrosocial case study of Tillamook County, Oregon Melissa Haeffner1 · Dana Hellman2 Received: 24 February 2020 / Accepted: 20 June 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Coastal and riparian flooding are costly and disruptive natural hazards and already a regular part of life in some areas of the USA. Flooding events caused by sea-level rise and climate change are expected to increase in frequency and severity in the future, creating social, ecological, and economic problems at local, city, state, and federal levels. It is clear that normative, infrastructure-oriented, and strictly hydrological solutions to flooding have not appropriately met these challenges, nor have they adequately addressed relevant sociopolitical factors which shape hydrological processes. Using the case study of Tillamook County, this study draws upon qualitative interview data to identify and explain social factors which have influenced the outcome of a collaborative, socially engaged flood management project. These include previous flood experience; emotions and feelings; interests and concerns; preferred management strategies; barriers to community-scientific engagement; and perceptions of a mediation process. This situation is further explored within the framework of social geometry, which is used to explain changes in social position and relationships through an interactive, collaborative process. In this case, mediation is shown to decrease both relational space and differences in status between the two primary actor groups, leading to mutually agreeable outcomes but not without dispute. Flood managers and researchers may find this case study useful when analyzing qualitative data related to flood risk management, and/or planning flood management strategies, particularly in disaster-prone regions. Keywords Social geometry · Hydrosocial · Flood risk · Disaster management · Adaptation
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s1106 9-020-04131-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Melissa Haeffner [email protected] Dana Hellman [email protected] 1
Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
2
School of the Environment, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
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Natural Hazards
1 Introduction Flooding is a costly and damaging natural hazard, routinely impacting coastal and riparian communities across the USA (Cigler 2017; Du et al. 2010; Pistrika and Jonkman 2010; Tyler et al. 2019). The frequency, intensity, and socio-ecological costs of flood events are projected to increase in the coming decades, compounded by climate change, sea-level rise, and land use change, among other factors (Brody et al. 2007; Gough and Grace 1998; Kirshen et al. 2008; Liu et al. 2015). These trends are apparent in insurance claims coverage provided by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), operated by the
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