Research themes

Living with Water focuses on the human, social and health dimensions of flooding.

This theme explores how flooding affects everyday life, wellbeing, mobility, education, work, recreation, care, community relationships and access to services. It considers both major flood events and more frequent, lower-magnitude disruptions that can accumulate over time.

Research in this theme may include children and young people, older people, marginalised communities, public health, mental health, climate justice, community resilience and the lived experience of flood risk.

Key questions include:

• How does flooding affect everyday life and wellbeing?
• Which flood impacts are under-recognised or under-measured?
• How do different communities live with, remember and adapt to flood risk?
• How can public health, social care, education and community organisations be better connected to flood adaptation?

Flood Futures focuses on innovation, design, adaptation and infrastructure.

This theme examines how places can be designed, planned and adapted for changing flood conditions. It connects engineering, design, landscape, planning, infrastructure, nature-based solutions, sustainable drainage, blue-green spaces and adaptive futures.

Flood Futures is interested in both physical interventions and the social processes through which adaptation decisions are made. It asks how future flood resilience can be designed in ways that are practical, inclusive, sustainable and responsive to place.

Key questions include:

• How can infrastructure and landscapes be designed for future flood conditions?
• What role can nature-based solutions and sustainable drainage play?
• How do adaptation choices affect communities, access, wellbeing and environmental quality?
• How can design and engineering approaches better connect with lived experience and local knowledge?

Data, Models and Meaning focuses on how flood data, modelling, digital tools and interpretation can support better decisions.

This theme brings together flood modelling, hydrology, geomorphology, geospatial analysis, artificial intelligence, visualisation, environmental sensing, risk communication and decision-support tools.

It also asks how data and models are interpreted, trusted and used by different audiences. FloodScapes recognises that data does not speak for itself: it needs to be connected to context, meaning, decision-making and lived experience.

Key questions include:

• How can flood models better represent complex and changing risk?
• What kinds of data are missing from current flood-risk systems?
• How can lived experience, community evidence and environmental observation inform modelling?
• How can data and visualisation support clearer communication and better decisions?

Governance, Policy and Justice focuses on how flood risk is governed, funded, regulated, communicated and acted upon.

This theme explores decision-making across local, regional, national and international scales. It considers policy, planning, insurance, civic partnerships, environmental justice, public accountability, responsibilities and institutional coordination.

FloodScapes is particularly interested in who is included in flood decision-making, whose knowledge counts, and how adaptation choices can reduce rather than reproduce inequality.

Key questions include:

• How are flood-risk decisions made, and by whom?
• Where do governance systems fail to join up?
• How are responsibilities for flood resilience distributed across institutions and communities?
• How can flood policy and practice become more inclusive, just and effective?
• What evidence do policymakers and practitioners need to act?

Action-based Storytelling focuses on creative, participatory and public-facing approaches to flood research and engagement.

This theme uses storytelling, creative methods, visual media, participatory research, arts-based practice, public engagement and knowledge exchange to connect flood evidence with people’s lives and actions.

It recognises that flooding is not only measured through data and models, but also understood through stories, memories, emotions, images, places and lived experiences. Storytelling can help communities, researchers and decision-makers understand flood risk differently and imagine more resilient futures.

Key questions include:

• How can storytelling help communicate flood risk and adaptation?
• How can creative methods support participation and inclusion?
• How can communities share their experiences in ways that influence research, policy and practice?
• How can stories become a route to action rather than only awareness?