Flood Proofing in Urban Areas

This book deals with floodproofing concepts, techniques and devices.This includes physics of stability and instability of both human beings and buildings under flood attack, criteria and models to assess flood strain, safety margins for floodproofing devices and facilities. An updated and enhanced classification of floodproofing methods and devices is here presented to better identify the appropriate solutions to specific risk scenarios, and to address the most effective ones from both technical and economical point of view. The focus on temporary floodproofing techniques descends from their capability to meet performance efficiency under a satisfactory cost to benefit farmework. Most of examples shown are real case studies, without mentioning manufacturers or commercial products. The book finally reports a resume of norms; guidelines; and laboratory test recommendations for floodproofing devices currently in use in different countries, given that diversity of landscape and social patterns require a multifaceted and flexible approach. The purpose of this book is twofold: to encourage authorities, stakeholders, technicians and end users to develop appropriate floodproofing solutions to reduce flood risk under a pragmatic approach; and, from a cultural point of view, to inspire researchers, designers and enterprises to advance answers in a more key-sector for the safety of urban areas.