Project Summary

The Adriatic-Ionian region, with its unique geographical and climatic conditions, has been increasingly prone to severe flood events due to a combination of climate and land-use changes. These events have led to significant geomorphic adjustments of river channels and, historically, have caused substantial damage to life, property, agriculture, and tourist infrastructure. In addition, the Mediterranean and in particular the Adriatic – Ionian region is characterized as a climate crisis hotspot. The URBANFLOODS project recognizes that effective flood management requires a comprehensive understanding at local and regional levels to devise suitable prevention and mitigation strategies. The project is committed to enhancing urban resilience and preparedness by collaboratively developing an advanced, integrated Decision Support System  - DSS - , aiming to propose short-, medium-, and long-term actions/measures/policy recommendations to local stakeholders for effective flood control. The project underscores the importance of raising awareness about climate change adaptation strategies, thereby fostering a proactive approach towards climate resilience. The project's overall objective is the joint development of innovative solutions for flood management based on a sophisticated information system and the implementation of pilot actions to reduce flood risks. URBANFLOODS particularly targets rivers and streams that intersect urban areas, as they often pose significant flood risks to urban communities, a situation that is being exacerbated by rapid urbanization and changing climate patterns. The joint innovative solutions will be fine-tuned taking into account the requirements/constraints and local characteristics in several pilot sites in Adriatic – Ionian area, the interchange of experiences, and practical training derived from the project's pilot initiatives. This ensures their applicability and efficacy in a variety of contexts and conditions. The project’s specific outputs include: • Joint Development of solutions and in particular an advanced, data driven DSS that offers holistic solutions for flood management, including early warning systems and a knowledge base of transnational short-/medium-/long-term actions/measures/policy recommendations. They will be used to strengthen civil protection mechanisms by enhancing the related plans. • Joint implementation of pilot actions in multiple pilot sites for a shared and coordinated use of data, modelling and designing early warning systems to reduce climate change risks, testing and validating the DSS in multiple sites in Adriatic – Ionian region and enhancing stakeholder engagement in flood management by raising awareness, promoting DSS acceptance, and fostering innovation through user-friendly shared and coordinated access across all pilot sites. - Joint development and implementation of integrated transnational Strategies and Action Plans to coordinate measures of flood management by prioritizing nature-based solutions. These action plans can serve as a reference for other regions facing similar challenges. - Strengthening the cooperation among organizations across borders as in URBANFLOODS 11 partners from 8 different countries and 11 associated partners will cooperate to achieve the project’s objectives. The project’s main results include jointly developed innovative solutions as well as harmonized joint transnational strategy and action plans reflecting the territorial needs for efficient and effective flood management taken up and/or considered and evaluated by organizations, while the sustainability of the solutions jointly developed will be promoted, with all partners being committed to the successful project completion and willing to continue active cooperation after the completion of the project. Moreover, the project will foster augmentation of consciousness regarding climate change adaptation strategies, thereby encouraging a proactive attitude toward climate resilience.