Building flood resilience
Our flooding experts are driving the national and international flood resilience agenda
Project summary
The Challenge
Flooding is a growing climate risk in the UK. Policymakers need evidence and solutions to help protect communities and embed resilience into long-term planning.
The Approach
We work with government, industry, and communities – combining science and policy insight to shape national flood resilience strategies and solutions.
The Outcome
Our research informs UK national flood policy and investment, improving public safety and guiding flood protection.
Institutes and centres
Project Partners
We work with a wide range of regional, national and international organisations from different sectors including businesses, communities, charities, governments, NGOs, agencies and academic collaborators
We've guided £5.2bn flood resilience funding, protecting 300,000+ homes
Our research has shaped national flood resilience policy and practice for 15 years, uniting agencies to better protect and help people recover from devastating flood events. We continue to drive action through partnerships like Living with Water.
The Challenge
Flooding is one of the most significant climate-related risks facing the UK. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent and severe, policymakers need robust evidence and innovative solutions to protect communities, infrastructure, and the economy. The challenge is not only to respond to immediate threats but to mainstream resilience, embedding it into long-term planning and investment to help society live better with water.
Expertise grounded in experience
The floods of summer 2007 had a major influence on the direction and development of our flood resilience work. In our home city of Hull, over 8600 houses and 1300 businesses flooded, with 90% of the city’s schools closed. The University provided temporary accommodation for some flooded residents but was also affected by the floodwaters itself. More widely, there were significant environmental and societal impacts across the UK.
The seminal Pitt Review of the 2007 floods has guided UK flood resilience policy since that time. The review drew heavily on work undertaken by the University following the catastrophic events in Hull.
The Approach
The University of Hull’s Energy and Environment Institute (EEI) is at the forefront of research and policy engagement to tackle this challenge. Our academics work closely with government, industry, and regional partners to influence national strategies and deliver practical solutions.
Our researchers led an Independent Review Body (IRB), set up by Hull City Council following the 2007 floods. The aim was to establish why the physical, institutional and regulatory structures designed to prevent flooding failed comprehensively.
The research combined the insights of physical and human geographers (Tom Coulthard, Lynne Frostick, Graham Haughton) and was designed to be policy-relevant and impact-driven, with partnership working at its core. The partnership included the local authorities, water companies, industry and representatives from the community and voluntary sectors.
Each year floods cause more than $40 billion in damage worldwide
(OECD)
Building on the landmark 2007 floods inquiry report, which transformed UK flood investment priorities, our work continues to shape policy through multiple channels:
- Informing Parliament: Professor Briony McDonagh provided evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee’s 2025 Flood Inquiry, helping to guide national thinking on climate adaptation and resilience. Find out more about our influence on the 2025 Flood Inquiry
- Driving National Reviews: Professor Stuart McLelland and Dr Giles Davidson led EEI contributions to the Bonfield Review, an action plan for mainstreaming property flood resilience across the UK. Read the Bonfield Review
- Regional Policy Engagement: EEI collaborates with Y-PERN (Yorkshire & Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network) to connect cutting-edge research with regional decision-making.
- Influencing Insurance Policy: Our team participates in DEFRA’s Insurance Flooding Round Tables, shaping approaches to risk management and recovery.
- Innovating Emergency Alerts: Working with the Home Office, EEI helped test cell broadcast technology for emergency alerts – now adopted as part of UK government policy to keep people safe during severe weather events. Discover how Hull helped make the nation safer
The full research team
Dr Ed Brookes
Knowledge Translation Fellow: Coastal Communities
Professor Tom Coulthard
Professor of Human Geography
Dr Giles Davidson
EEI - Head of Strategic Projects
Dr Steven Forrest
Lecturer in Flood Resilience and Sustainable Transformations
Professor Emerita Lynne Frostick
Environment Agency Board Member
Professor Graham Haughton
Professor of Human Geography
Professor Briony McDonagh
Professor of Environmental Humanities & Coast-R Network Lead
Dr Kate Smith
Lecturer in Flood Risk Management
Dr Rob Thomas
Lecturer in Geomorphology and Flood Risk
Professor Stuart McLelland
Professor of Water Science & EEI Deputy Director
Dr Hannah Worthen
Lecturer in Environmental Humanities
The Impact
The University of Hull research has significantly impacted governance and inter-agency partnership working, as well as leading to the adoption of a more integrated approach to flood risk management.The Environment Agency’s Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management
Our 2007 report suggested actions to combat the governance and policy system gaps it uncovered, improving flood risk management and response at the regional, national and international scale. Our research has continued to have a profound and lasting impact on UK flood resilience:
- Influenced billions of pounds of government investment in flood defences.
- Embedded property-level resilience measures into national policy.
- Strengthened regional and national strategies for climate adaptation.
- Improved public safety through the adoption of emergency alert systems.
Impacted international flood and resilience strategies through the development of the City Water Resilience Approach (CWRA), the global standard for city-level water resilience.
From shaping parliamentary policy to pioneering technological solutions, our work ensures that communities across the UK are better prepared for the challenges of a changing climate.
Our next steps:
The EEI will continue to lead the way in flood resilience research. Our future priorities include:
- Developing a community of practice for coast resilience through our leadership of the UKRI and DEFRA-funded Coast-R Network.
- Enhancing community engagement in resilience planning through initiatives like the Living with Water partnership.
- Transforming the property flood resilience innovation landscape with the PFRlab – our centre of excellence for innovation and testing of PFR measures.
By working hand-in-hand with policymakers, industry, and communities, we aim to build a safer, more resilient future for all.
Training the next generation of flood risk managers
The Climate Crisis brings more frequent and severe flood events throughout the world. Building on our flood expertise, our innovative MSc Flood Risk Management is designed in collaboration with industry to help shape future flood resilience leaders.
