Flood risk assessment in urban areas: the historic city centre of Aveiro as a case study

Abstract

Floods are among the most frequent and widespread natural hazards worldwide, with historic buildings proving to be particularly vulnerable. This work focuses on the large-scale flood risk assessment of the Historic City Center of Aveiro in Portugal. Due to the system of canals passing through the center and the extreme proximity to a lagoon, Aveiro is extremely prone to flooding. Furthermore, considering the great historical and artistic value the city center retains, its selection as a case study for flood risk assessment is fully supported. The work implements a recently developed methodology, combining hazard and physical vulnerability indicators to classify risk and define intervention priorities. Subsequent to an extensive survey and evaluation of almost 500 buildings, the raw data collected was classified using the Geographic Information System (GIS) tool. Through the macro-scale risk assessment, an essential insight is provided into the way each building is affected by flood events and, based on this knowledge, strategic rehabilitation interventions can be prioritized. To validate results, the work proposes a comparison with an analogous case study, and finally reflects upon the effective risk management and mitigation proposals as well as possible adaptations of the methodology for future applications.