European study links flood severity to urban planning and risk zones

A new pan-European study reveals that the severity of flood disasters is driven not only by the intensity of extreme rainfall but also by urban development in exposed areas and vulnerable infrastructure. The research, which included contributions from professors Anastasios Stamou of the National Technical University of Athens and Michalis Diakakis of the University of Athens, analyzed flooding events across various European countries from 2007 to 2025.

Countries examined in the study include Austria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, France, Germany, Belgium, Greece (specifically Storm Daniel), Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Scandinavian nations.

Co-author Michalis Diakakis noted that major disasters occur when spatial planning fails to account for established flood risk zones. He emphasized that many European cities have been designed without sufficient consideration for these zones. The study suggests that societies that update their legal frameworks, building regulations, and disaster preparedness show better recovery outcomes than those that continue traditional construction methods in high-risk areas.