Holistic flood risk assessment of urban communities in Islamabad, Pakistan

Floods are among the most destructive natural hazards. Existing studies offer limited insight into the multidimensional nature of urban risk. This study proposes a holistic flood risk assessment methodology integrating physical, social, economic, attitudinal, and institutional dimensions. The methodology was applied to selected urban communities in Islamabad, Pakistan. A random sample of 600 respondents who had been exposed to recurring flooding was collected via a structured questionnaire. The index method was employed to construct 13 equations using 45 indicators to measure the hazard, vulnerability, and risk. The findings revealed a moderate perceived flood hazard (mean=0.46) accompanied by high vulnerability levels (mean=0.68) across the selected dimensions. The institutional (mean=0.37), physical (mean=0.31), and economic (mean=0.31) dimensions exhibited the highest flood risks, while the social dimension (mean=0.28) had the lowest. These results highlight the importance of developing and updating flood risk reduction strategies that reflect community-relevant risk profiles, thereby enhancing urban resilience.