Opportunities, constraints, and choices for flood mitigation in rural areas: perspectives of municipalities in Massachusetts

While a portfolio approach to flood mitigation that combines structural and non‐structural measures provides many benefits, in practice, the selection and implementation of flood mitigation measures is a complex process. This research examines the factors influencing the choice of flood mitigation measures by 27 rural municipalities in Western Massachusetts and the opportunities and constraints they face in implementing flood mitigation. The physical and institutional characteristics of these rural municipalities drive them to prioritise structural over non‐structural flood mitigation measures. Yet implementation of those measures is often hindered by state and federal regulations and by barriers to accessing state and federal assistance programmes. Consequently, the municipalities engage in reactionary and ancillary flood mitigation, and remain vulnerable to future flood events. These findings point to the importance of tailoring government policies and programmes to the specific context in which flood mitigation occurs, including the unique characteristics of rural municipalities.