Revisiting the Role of Floodplains in Flood Management: A Comparative Case Study of Carlisle, UK and New Orleans, USA

As the climate continues to warm, the incidence of extreme weather events is increasing on a global scale. Presently, flooding remains a complex challenge for urban environments. Certain regions and countries are limited by geographic and historical urban planning factors, resulting in heightened flooding in some historic districts that are affected throughout the year. Since the mid-20th century, nations have initiated comprehensive research into flood protection measures, evolving from the initial construction of flood control dykes to the development of floodplains. However, with the escalation of climatic issues, traditional flood prevention strategies, such as floodplain management, are no longer sufficient to address current flooding phenomena. Consequently, this study will focus on the cities of Carlisle in northern England and New Orleans in the United States. These two cities have been selected due to their similar causes of flooding. The research aims to compare the underlying factors contributing to flooding in New Orleans and Carlisle in order to assess why conventional flood control strategies are becoming increasingly ineffective.