Rethinking Flood Resilience in the Context of Flood-Prone Rural Areas in Europe

Abstract Floods, as one of the hydrological disasters, have been recorded as the most common within the natural disaster occurrences since 1990. Floods can be induced by natural forces, by heavy or continuous rain that exceeds the assimilative capacity of the soil or the river flow capacity, but they can also be triggered by human activities, deforestation, constructions on unstable slopes and constructions of embankments, which can result in activation of landslide processes on the slopes. Floods affect agricultural areas, areas with forestry, but also urban areas. This research explores flood resilience strategies through the comparative analysis of selected flood events in Europe, which occurred from 2005 until 2025, with the focus on the recent floods in 2024 that affected the rural areas of the southern part of Switzerland and the southern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research is conducted based on documentary evidence about floods, which is compared from an urban planning perspective, including historical data and the recorded floods since the 20th century. The main aim is to explore how planned flood resilience strategies have been applied and the effectiveness of their implementation during the last 20 years of repeated flood impacts, in order to rethink the concept of flood resilience. The research points out the importance of approaching the existing resilience framework from a holistic perspective and understanding that climate adaptation requires flexible and transformative land-use policies in both urban and rural areas, as well as a diversified application of resilience strategies.