title: Structural vs non-structural flood-alleviation measures in the Yangtze Delta: a pilot survey of floodplain residents' preferences.
abstract: This study was initiated to test if structural flood-alleviation measures were more popular than non-structural measures among the floodplain residents of the Yangtze Delta, because of the long tradition of "living with embankments and other flood control structures'. The results of a pilot questionnaire survey among 239 respondents from four sample villages of two typical floodplains of the delta indicated that, contrary to expectations, the non-structural measure of flood insurance attracted more favourable responses (97 per cent) than any one of the structural measures, although the latter were also frequently selected by the respondents (64-92 per cent). A number of multivariate logit regressions between each of the preferred flood-alleviation measures and the respondents' flood adaptations identified some of the determinants of these preferences. For a more complete explanation of the causes of popularity of various flood-alleviation measures, further research should incorporate a behavioural model with trade-offs for alternative measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rasid
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shuncai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiubo
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004190:Disasters; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion