A state-of-the-art approach to assessing relative multi-dimensional vulnerabilities for urban flood resilience in the UK

This paper aims to quantify and integrate the Flood Exposure Index (FEI) and the Flood Sensitivity Index (FSI) to develop the Flood Multi-dimensional Vulnerability Index (FMVI), focusing on Kingston Upon Hull, the UK's second most flood-vulnerable city. The research applies Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map flood risk parameters spatially and employs the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to incorporate expert judgement more useful for in weighting the vulnerability parameters.

The analysis reveals acute deprivation across six Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in Kingston Upon Hull and estimates relative disadvantage. Critical data-driven insight is provided into the intersection of physical flood exposure and socio-economic sensitivity. This data-driven research approach emphasises the ease and significance of integrating geospatial and socio-economic insights from a range of Impact Percentiles to prioritise high deprivation areas for policy interventions, enabling nuanced flood risk assessments, mitigation, and adaptation strategies.