Integration of flood risk assessment and spatial planning for disaster management in Egypt

Increasing flood risk due to rapid urbanization and climate change calls for improved integration between flood risk management and spatial planning processes to enhance the resilience of cities, including in Egypt. Although much work has been conducted on flood impact in Egypt, the gap in integrating flood risk assessment with spatial planning practices has not been discussed in academia. In practice, flood risk assessment is not mandatory for local-level spatial planning projects in Egypt, resulting in increased flood risk. This study examines the causes of this gap and proposes possible solutions that increase flood resiliency. A mixed-method approach was utilized based on a questionnaire survey with local stakeholders in academic and professional categories. The results reveal reasons for the gap, including issues related to the realization of the role of spatial planning in flood risk reduction, lack of coordination between the authorities responsible for developing the flood hazard maps and the spatial planning authority, availability and accessibility of the required data, and subjectivity of conducted flood analyses. Four key recommendations pertain to building an operational framework for integrating flood risk assessment in spatial planning, improving stakeholder awareness and collaboration, strengthening risk communication, and improving both quality and access to data. These measures will help to overcome the identified difficulties and enhance the integration between spatial planning and flood risk assessment, effectively increasing their flood resilience.