Flooding in Walloon Brabant: from a transdisciplinary diagnosis to transdisciplinary actions?
(2022) Circle U - Louvain4water Happy Hour Event — Location: Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium (24.November.2022)
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- Abstract
- The floods in Brabant Wallon of July 2021 illustrated the vulnerability of local territories to the effects of climate change. In order to cope with the pressures exerted by climate change on local territories, literature [Lettre 18/20, Plateforme wallonne pour le GIEC, 20/21], as well as field experience, reveals the need for: - a multi-scale approach, considering flood isssues from the main watershed to the multiple local runoff axes, from the plateaus to the valley bottoms; - a multi-disciplinary approach, involving climate sciences, agronomy, engineering, urban planning, architecture, social and political sciences, etc.; and - a multi-stakeholder approach, involving political representatives, administrations, citizens, associations and socio-cultural actors, academic experts, innovative entrepreneurs. In this context the interdisciplinary research platform Louvain4Water of UCLouvain, and the Maison de l'Urbanisme du Brabant Wallon, with the support of the Province du Brabant Wallon, organized a series of meetings dedicated to the co-construction of a diagnosis of the causes of the floods in this region and to the co-design of possible solutions to mitigate and adapt to floods. From september to december 2021, a first cycle of cross-teaching activities (AGRO, EPL, LOCI) between the members of Louvain4Water laid the foundations for a round table event. This event took place in february 2022 and brought together more than hundred people from the public sector (provincial deputies; mayors and aldermen; urbanists; urban planners, environmental and municipal public works departments; environmental advisors; agents from the regional GISER service), actors of the civil society ((Fédération Wallonne de l’Agriculture, Contrat de rivière Dyle-Gette) and actors of the academic sector. Louvain4Water then drew up a summary of the diagnosis and solutions proposed by the participants. From april to june, several meetings with the cabinet of the Provincial Deputy in charge of flood risk management led to the official approval of the report. At the request of the SPW Territoire, the Maison de l'Urbanisme du Brabant Wallon is currently planning a series of events called ‘Les Arènes du Territoire’ dedicated to territorial adaptability, with a special focus on water managementand where the Louvain4Water report will be discussed. A retrospective analysis of this experience reveals a strong contrast between the ease with which a transdisciplinary diagnosis could be established and the difficulty of initiating concrete transdisciplinary actions in the field. The interest of collaboration between academic and non-academic experts from different domains was obvious to all participants. Thanks to a didactic presentation of the different aspects of floods and flood management, and thanks to several case studies discussions, it was relatively simple to identify a common reading of the events and of the potential levers to be activated. Conversely, the subsequent discussions with the provincial services did not lead to any path for a concrete transdisciplinary action. The first reason is a lack of funding prospects for joint projects. Most stakeholders ask for more recognition and funding to make these projects a priority and not a side task to busy schedules. A second reason is a lack of disentangling practices. Without any clear joint perspective, everybody seeks to improve what is already ongoing in each department: the planners ask for better rules, the technicians ask for more data, the politicians ask for better governance etc. It must be noted that, so far, our research platform has been unable to be a game changer. This fact highlights the need for further research on disentangling methodologies and the necessity to provide better support for stakeholders in implementing the recommendations resulting from transdisciplinary diagnoses.
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Citations
De Visscher, J.-P., & et al. (2022). Flooding in Walloon Brabant: from a transdisciplinary diagnosis to transdisciplinary actions? Circle U - Louvain4water Happy Hour Event, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/102432