Flood risk assessment in art cities: the exemplary case of Florence (Italy)

Abstract Flood risk assessment is a crucial step for flood risk management purposes, thus answering the requirements of the European Flood Directive 60/2007/EC (European Commission). In this work, a census data scale, which has been considered as a good compromise between spatial resolution and availability of open socio‐economic data, is adopted for risk analysis. The damage categories included are structures, household contents and the most representative economic activities in the city of Florence (Italy). Moreover, since Florence is an important art city, a preliminary evaluation of risk to cultural heritage is carried out. Data from hydraulic simulations, historical reports of the devastating 1966 flood and the cultural heritage recognition sheets allow estimating and mapping the annual expected number of works of art lost in the absence of risk mitigation strategies.