Project outcomes and beyond
Specific outcomes
- The jointly created maps along with the MCA and the action plans are the most tangible outcomes of this pilot. Along with these maps, additional documentation on the potential use of them, and more guidance on how to decide what pathway would be the best option will also be written.
- A more general outcome of the project is the adjustment of the DAPP approach for the Danish context.
- The created maps are also expected to be beneficial for future funding proposals.
Process results
The discussions that took place during the process towards creating the maps is as valuable, if not more so, than the maps: the different departments realize the similarities and dissimilarities between them, and are trying to find common ground.
Flood risk management strategies (FRMS)
In Denmark, most of the cities are located at high risk areas, but the risk awareness is low because devastating floods have happened for a long time; the most recent big flood was in 1872. The municipality of Assens would like to increase tourism and has many areas that can be developed for this purpose. However, it is important to incorporate protection for the area before developing it. At the same time, Assens is developing a vision for its future, including protection without building a wall of 4 meters high. Furthermore, the harbor makes up an important part of the town’s economy, so it has to be included in the shared vision (interview pilot manager, 2019).
The table below shows the FRM strategies that were considered before, during and after FRAMES.
| Layers of MLS | Before FRAMES | During FRAMES | After FRAMES |
| Protection/ defense | Hard infrastructure: flood walls, dikes, and sluice gate (interview pilot manager, 2019) | Adjust the DAPP tool to help municipalities to prioritize the protection measures (dike or a pop up sea wall, a dune landscape, raise the terrain or the road) considering climate change combine with their vision for the city. Measures are included in the DAPP map (interview pilot manager, 2019) | The aim is to give municipalities the ownership of to use the DAPP approach in other projects and to adjust the flood risk management plans based on the EU flood directive (interview pilot manager, 2019) |
| Pro-action/ prevention
via spatial planning |
Adjust the DAPP tool to help municipalities to prioritize spatial planning measures (flood the first floor, raise the terrain for new buildings or use stick) considering climate change combine with their vision for the city. Measures are included in the DAPP map (interview pilot manager, 2019) | The aim is to give municipalities the ownership to use the DAPP approach in other projects and to adjust the flood risk management plans based on the EU Floods Directive.
DAPP provides support for funding urban development plans (interview pilot manager, 2019) | |
| Preparation & response | No attention | Adjust the DAPP tool to help municipalities to prioritize emergency / response measures (evacuation plans, awareness raising campaigns, private local response team) considering climate change combine with their vision for the city. Measures are not included in the DAPP map, only in the action plan (interview pilot manager, 2019) | The aim is to give municipalities the ownership of to use the DAPP approach in other projects and to adjust the flood risk management plans based on the EU flood directive (interview pilot manager, 2019) |
| Recovery | No attention | This is not considered in this pilot | This is not considered in this pilot |
Lessons learnt so far
- In a DAPP map, it is not possible to include the direct impact of an evacuation plan or other type of soft measures such as emergency planning – the water will still be there, it is not a measure that prevents water from flowing in. This is included in the process (in the action plan), but not in the map, so the visualization is not representative of all possible measures.
- Apply and adjust the DAPP approach in a different way, depending on the context. When comparing Assens to Vejle, the DCA applied the DAPP approach in a different way. In Vejle, the entire area was considered to make 2 DAPP maps based on the flood source, while in Assens, the DCA together with the municipality realized that it could be more efficient to create 7 small maps. Moreover, testing the method first in Vejle made the the process in Assens smoother and easier.
- Have a clear vision for the area is key to work when working with the DAPP approach. All stakeholders involved had a different idea about what the city should look like. Having a clear, shared vision makes the discussion about measures, and prioritizing measures, easier.
- For this particular project, it was difficult to bring new stakeholders into the group at a later stage, because it takes a lot of time for the new project member to get to the same level of understanding as the other members (with regards to both content and process).
- There are uncertainties surrounding sharing the results of the map. For participants of the workshop, the ones who were explained the approach and actively worked towards the final products, the maps are clear, as well as their messages. Will others intuitively also understand what the maps are showing?
- Flood risk is not high on the Danish political agendas, so it has proven difficult to get local politicians and decision-makers engaged in the issue. An issue with this can be time and money though; someone has to at least clear seven days in his/her agenda per area to prepare this.
Dissemination and up-scaling of pilot results
The aim is that municipalities take ownership of this approach – they should engage on flood risk issues with their local politicians. They can, for instance, use the DAPP approach to adjust their e current flood risk management plans according to the EU Floods Directive. This however, cannot be enforced, only recommended.
Upscaling can take place via workshops organized for other municipalities, where results are presented, explained and discussed. A so-called FRAMES day has already taken place - several municipalities were invited to join the discussions and presentations about the DAPP approach.