Urban flood mitigation through land-use adaptation : a socioecological perspective of Paraty

Abstract

This study explores the possibilities of adapting land-use change dynamics in periurban floodplains to the Social Function of Property and the City, as a potentially effective way of mitigating urban flood risks. The Brazilian city of Paraty is the empirical object of analysis, considering the Mateus Nunes and Perequê-Açu river basins where it is located. Land-use change processes in the study area are analyzed in two interactive dimensions: the physical dimensions, assessing the impacts of urban expansion in the aggravation of floods through hydrodynamic modeling; and their sociopolitical dimensions, analyzing the decision-making processes relating to the use and appropriation of urban land, considering social, economic, and institutional factors that influence these decisions. The hydrodynamic-modeling exercise intends to assess, quantify, and visualize the effects of urban expansion, establishing a causal link between land-use changes and the positive or negative impacts on flooding conditions. The simulation of hypothetical scenarios of urbanization measures localizes hydrological costs and benefits according to different land-use options. The socio-political analysis focuses on the governance challenges of integrating preventive land-use measures for urban flood mitigation, addressing the root causes of the increasing environmental risks and social vulnerabilities, which are increasing with particular intensity at the turn of the new millennia, in urban peripheries of the South.