Project duration: 09/2019 to 05/2021

The focus of the research is on developing a sound methodology for assessing the economic impact of natural disasters, structured in two steps: a wide scale methodology to be implemented with the existing data covering Europe, and a more focused and complete methodology, focused on regional/ local scale. At least one regional or local entity will be selected to test the methodology. Moreover instruments and tools (predominantly in spatial planning/territorial development) for disaster risk management and climate change adaptation measures will be identified within this study and provide assessment of their benefits and usefulness. Throughout this research the IRPUD is responsible for three main tasks:

1. Case Studies

• ESPON-TITAN will carry out eight analyses of different European regions to identify the economic impact of their natural disasters.
• The purpose is to validate the methodologies of economic impact evaluation of natural disasters derived from ESPON-TITAN, to extract relevant findings and lessons learned to be transferred to other regions in the ESPON territory to inform planning, disaster risk management and climate change adaptation and to identify good practice examples in terms of planning, disaster risk management and climate change adaptation. The outcomes constitute a key element for the elaboration of the policy recommendations.
• They will also reflect which practices exist to deal with the effects of disasters in European regions and countries, including cooperation and coordination between actors (spatial planning, sectoral planning and emergency response) and territorial levels (EU, national, regional local).

2. Practices related to disaster risk management and climate change adaptation in Europe

• The objectives of describing the practice and identifying good practices are to prepare an overview of the practice of the management of natural hazards at different territorial scales and to identify best practices related to disaster risk management and climate change adaptation strategies.
• The subtasks are an overview of different policies and instruments used, governance structures at different territorial scales with an emphasis on how this has been integrated into place-based spatial planning and of various cooperation mechanisms between local and regional authorities.

3. Policy recommendations

• Policy messages and recommendations will be elaborated, closely linked to the key policy questions addressed by ESPON TITAN and targeted to both international institutions at the EU level as well as to national and regional authorities. The analysis will primarily concentrate on the natural hazards that are analysed in the project.

Cooperation partners

• Tecnalia Research & Innovation: ES (lead contractor)
• Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), FI
• TU Dortmund University, DE
• Trinomics, NL
• Cambridge Econometrics, UK