Developing a Sustainable Flood Risk Appraisal (SFRA) Framework for the Pearl River Delta

Intensive storms enhanced flooding is fast emerging as one of the biggest threats to urbanization in Asia. The need to manage this risk is critical for achieving a sustainable growth pattern. The authors study the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and propose a generic sustainable flood risk appraisal (SFRA) framework that can be used to benchmark flood risk management (FRM) practice against sustainability objectives. The framework addresses social, environmental and economic concerns, and further illustrates that climate change and governance are two main drivers to achieving sustainability in FRM. This article further explains how the template could be of value in recuperating the FRM practices in the PRD.