Lecture with Professor Liao Kuei-Hsien

“In modern society, flooding is a disaster, so we use flood control to prevent it...are cities protected by flood control infrastructure of a high design standard [actually] flood resilient?”

On April 22, Professor Liao Kuei-Hsien from the National Taipei University in Taiwan joined WLI and the Blue House to give a lecture on “Flood Resilience: A Different Approach to Flood Safety.” Watch the full lecture here. 

In her lecture, Professor Liao described what flood resilience means from an ecosystem perspective, which challenges the conventional wisdom of flood prevention. This is especially critical in New Orleans and southeast Louisiana, where flood prevention measures (such as levees, floodwalls, and pump stations) have become seemingly inevitable elements of our landscape. 

Looking at examples from Southeast Asia, she shares how flooding does not necessarily have to mean disaster. In fact, she argues that periodic flooding is a critical mechanism for nurturing flood resilience, and that flood control infrastructure provides a false sense of security and reduces awareness of risk and vulnerability. Further, she argues for planning practices that focus on finding ways to make cities more floodable. 

Huge thanks to Professor Liao for joining us and sharing her findings and insights. For more, from Professor Liao, see this article on different forms of resilience.