Local vulnerability factors can be used as an innovative approach for developing inclusive urban community flood resilience policies

Abstract

Rapid urbanisation has resulted in the sealing of pervious surfaces and the construction of houses in flood-vulnerable areas, aggravating urban flooding. This paper explores the impact of urban flooding on families with vulnerable members, surveying 600 residents in six case study areas in Indonesia. The research study outcomes recommend that the government adopt a community flood resilience framework to develop an inclusive urban flood resilience policy. The study findings confirmed that the elderly, children and these two groups combined experience the worst impacts of urban flooding. Social, economic and environmental factors of these vulnerable population groups can further exacerbate such impacts. Since the diversity and characteristics of vulnerable population groups vary at a location, it is recommended that the community flood resilience policies and programs should be personalised, based on human factors such as types of vulnerable population groups, and contextualised to the social, economic, natural and built infrastructure factors associated with specific vulnerable population groups. This study contributes to innovation management by proposing a novel framework that integrates local vulnerability factors into flood resilience planning. Such an approach aligns with the innovation process of transformation and diffusion, enabling the development of inclusive policies that can adapt to diverse community needs. The framework can serve as a tool for innovation management, promoting equitable innovation by explicitly addressing the challenges faced by specific vulnerable groups.