Tubridy, Fiadh and Lennon, Mick (2021) Flood risk management, (un)managed retreat and the “relocation fix”: examining shifting responsibilities and compounding risks through two Irish case studies. Local Environment, 26 (4). pp. 517-533. ISSN 1354-9839

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Abstract

Managed retreat raises important questions of both risk and responsibility. These include what risks are addressed and/or exacerbated through retreat and whether retreat might function as a byword for state withdrawal and the individualisation of responsibility. In response, the aim of this paper is to understand the implications of shifts in the perceived balance of responsibilities between the state and private actors for managing the risks and vulnerabilities associated with managed retreat. The paper draws upon an analysis of two household relocation schemes which took place in County Galway, Ireland in 1995and 2009. This analysis highlights a range of factors which contribute to vulnerability and risk and which are traced to underlying conflicts regarding responsibility. These factors both put people at risk initially, leading to demands for relocation, and create new risks through a failure to effectively manage the relocation process. It is argued that the approach to relocation in Ireland reflects a neoliberal approach that responds to political and financial pressures upon the state and temporarily resolves some immediate risks for property owners but fails to address the underlying drivers of risk. The aggregate effects of such shifting responsibilities are to amplify existing and produce new vulnerabilities for communities impacted by flooding.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Tubridy, F. & Lennon, M. 2021, "Flood risk management, (un)managed retreat and the "relocation fix": examining shifting responsibilities and compounding risks through two Irish case studies", Local environment, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 517-533.
Keywords:	Managed retreat; flood risk management; roll-back neoliberalism; Ireland;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Geography
Item ID:	17803
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2021.1901268
Depositing User:	Mr Fiadh Tubridy
Date Deposited:	09 Nov 2023 11:58
Journal or Publication Title:	Local Environment
Publisher:	Routledge
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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