URflood: Knowledge Systems

URflood hopes to produce guidance for use throughout the EU looking at how to implement good practice flood communications and how to respond to differences in how information is interpreted and utilised.

Rather than assuming that providing more or better information will ensure more ‘rational’ responses to flood events or flood risk; the project considers Knowledge Systems. Knowledge systems view information as a resource that flows around a network of different actors, is converted to knowledge and may influence practices. In essence, the starting point of improving communications needs to be based on how to work with people to achieve the intended behavioural response, rather than starting with the content of the communication itself.

The project will consider what different audiences for flood communications already know; how they understand and use these flood communications and whether there are erroneous assumptions being made that negatively effect the choices being made by those responding to a flood event or living with flood risk. Improving individual and collective capacity to respond to flood risk communications and flood warnings in this way will directly contribute to improved community resilience