Operationalizing the resilience of local communities to flood risk: a capital approach and assessment model

Abstract

Floods are among the most widespread and devastating natural hazards in Serbia, causing significant human, material, and environmental losses and slowing long-term local and national development. The consequences of floods do not arise only from the characteristics of the natural event. However, they are largely conditioned by the human factor, i.e., the way space is used, the degree of urbanization, planning, infrastructure quality, and institutional readiness to manage risk before, during, and after the event. Based on modern approaches to disaster risk management, the paper focuses on resilience, reflected in the local community's ability to preserve key functions, reduce losses, adapt to changing conditions, and ensure rapid and sustainable recovery. However, experiences following the major floods of 2014, as well as numerous studies, have shown systemic weaknesses and highlighted that existing solutions are often insufficiently coordinated. In addition, local capacities are uneven, and preventive measures remain insufficiently developed to meet the needs of risk-exposed areas. For this reason, strengthening local governments and building resilient communities are considered strategic priorities. This is because risks are identified more quickly, resources are coordinated effectively, and safety measures that impact citizens are implemented more directly at the local level. Based on this, the paper specifically emphasizes that local governments have a dual role: as the bearer of planning and regulation (spatial planning, urban measures, risk assessment) and as the coordinator of operational activities (preparation, alerting, evacuation, care, and recovery). The paper aims to offer a practically usable framework for strengthening local communities' resilience to floods by conceptualizing and analyzing relevant normative and institutional frameworks. Special attention is paid to the integration of investment (infrastructural) and non-investment measures (organizational, educational, planning, and communication), as well as to their coordination across different levels of governance, with clear division of responsibilities and cooperation mechanisms. The focus is also on harmonizing local policies with modern legislative and strategic solutions of the Republic of Serbia, including the Law on Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management (2018), which encourages more systematic risk management and strengthening prevention. The paper shows that flood risk management cannot be based solely on the traditional “flood defense” model. Still, it requires a shift towards an adaptation approach and the concept of “living with floods”, which implies continuous reductions in vulnerability and improvements in capacity. In this context, in addition to classic protection measures, the systematic strengthening of community resources and capacities — natural, economic, infrastructural, human, social, and institutional — is crucial, because it is precisely their quality that determines how ready a community will be to prevent damage, respond to an event, and recover without long-term disruption. Additionally, the paper highlights the importance of partnerships among local governments, public enterprises, the civil sector, and business to pool resources and implement measures more quickly and efficiently.