Areas at risk - Concept and Methods for Urban Flood Risk Assessment: A Case Study of Santiago de Chile

Urban expansion and associated land-use changes negatively affect flood hazard and also increase flood exposure. The book provides a conceptual and methodological framework for the analysis of urban flood risk in a complex and dynamic setting and proposes a comprehensive, system-oriented, and integrated approach for its assessment.The risk assessment is carried out using case-specific indicators on the sub-city scale in two municipalities of Santiago de Chile. Relevant information is derived from various geodata sources and explorative scenarios are used to estimate future risk development. All data about hazard, elements at risk, and their vulnerability are compiled to a GIS-based risk map to join the risk-relevant components, to show their interrelations, and to provide a tool for monitoring and evaluating their changes over time. Finally, previous deficits in flood risk prevention and mitigation are lined out and recommendations are elaborated.