An Integrated Framework for Flood Risk Management: Addressing Local Challenges and Resilience in Rize, Türkiye

Abstract

In recent years, increasing flood events, driven by human activities and climate change, have caused significant loss of life and property around the globe. Consequently, effective flood risk management strategies have become crucial in response to rising flood risks. This study examines how flood risk management (FRM) is implemented in Rize, Türkiye, with particular attention to the relationship between governance and decision‐making processes and community‐based FRM practices. By applying a key informant interviewing qualitative research design, 51 senior civil servants, appointees, experts, and managers involved in flood risk management in Rize, Türkiye, were interviewed. The findings identify a persistent implementation gap between formal governance arrangements and community‐based FRM, particularly in relation to policy and enforcement, leadership and institutional coordination, practical education, community action planning, and locally feasible preparedness. The results highlight the necessity of a comprehensive, well‐coordinated strategy that connects institutional management systems and community‐driven initiatives. Based on these findings, the study develops an integrated, implementation‐oriented framework that synthesises the relationships between governance and decision‐making and community‐based FRM. The contribution of the framework lies in specifying how weaknesses in the linkages between key components can undermine FRM implementation in practice. While the framework is derived from a single‐region case and requires further validation, it offers a diagnostic structure that may be adapted in comparable flood‐prone settings.