Conference description

We invite you to the SMARTeST International entitled conference - IMPLEMENTING FLOOD RESILIENCE, which will be held in 27 – 28 September 2012, in Athens - Greece.

Aims and objectives

• General Flood Resilient Measures (FRM)
• Innovative Flood Resilient (FRe) Technology
• Testing and Standards for FRe Technology
• FRe Systems
• Flood Risk Damage Modeling
• FRe – Decision Support Tools
• Challenge of integration

General Flood Resilient Measures (FRM)
In recent years there has been a growing awareness amongst public authorities and the flood management industry that traditional measures to manage flood risk will not be sustainable in the future.  The cost of primary flood defences, combined with increasing urbanisation and climate change means that Flood Resilience measures will be required as part of the solution.  The range of measures that can be classified in this area is extensive, however, their role within a sustainable approach to flood risk management has required further consideration.  The conference will examine recent research in this area and will aim to disseminate the results of recent research in this area.

Innovative Flood Resilient (FRe) Technology
The session “Innovative Flood Resilient (FRe) Technology” will address the development of new and existing innovative FRe products. Presentations will discuss the performance of innovative FRe technology through simulation model case studies, physical testing and product development. The session will also focus on the implementation of FRe Technology by considering issues related with the development, manufacture and installation of FRe products.

Testing and Standards for FRe Technology
In this session challenges in development and testing of FRe technologies will be presented and discussed. We invite papers presenting examples of lab-tests and on-site testing of FRe technologies as well as papers on application of standards for FRe technology discussing the need for and added value of standards at national and at European level.

 FRe Systems
The SMARTeST project has a premise that technology will play a key role in bringing resilience to flood management systems, particularly in urban locations. Nevertheless, flood resilient (FRe) systems are not a mere assembly of FRe technologies. The system approach requires a deep understanding of both the scope and limits of FRe technologies and of to the capacity of organisations to manage these technologies at best in order to successfully reach the prevention/protection/resilience objectives decided by the community. This session will open exchanges on these interlinked issues.

Flood Risk Damage Modeling
The session "Flood Risk Damage Modeling" will address numerical and physical models for flood-risk analyses of building damage, also including cost-benefit ratios for FRe technologies and systems to protect properties, infrastructures and urban areas. Presentations will expose and discuss latest research results in this field, including insights from European case study areas.

FRe – Decision Support Tools
This session focuses on the presentation of models and decision support tools with reference to the implementation of FRe measures, the simulation of their effects on local and national scales and the monetary valuation of specific strategies for improved flood resilience. FRe decision support tools may vary from built environment vulnerability analysis to flood risk management planning, assessment of potentials damages and risks and other aspects of flood resilience and decision-making.

Challenge of integration
Although flood resilient technical and engineering ‘solutions’ exist, and in many cases are available for purchase and installation, their widespread and comprehensive integration and acceptance is proving elusive. 
Against the context of institutional fragmentation, inherent uncertainty within risk analysis and resilience management, and the sheer complexity of flooding events and their management and governance this session considers the resolution of the challenge of integration. In particular we are interest in how stakeholders – especially the public or ‘communities at risk ‘ – can be supported in securing their own resilience to the threat of flood, and how flood risk and flood resilience can be considered  more extensively within traditional decision-making frameworks.
 
We welcome papers on the following specific themes:
- How competing interpretations of ‘resilience’ and ‘integration’ stifles the realization of flood resilient tools, technologies and systems in practice.
- Barriers to - and capacity building to support - the integration of flood resilient features at property level. This can include resilience efforts by individual property owners and communities.
- How flood resilience can be better integrated within decision-making procedures and risk governance. 

Other papers that fit broadly with the theme of integration are also welcome.