title: A typology of household-level adaptation to coastal flooding and its spatio-temporal patterns.
abstract: The predicted sea-level rise and changes in storm surge regimes are expected to lead to an increasing risk of flooding in coastal regions. Accommodation can be an alternative to protection in many areas, with household-level adaptation potentially constituting an important element of such a strategy, as it can significantly reduce costs. To date, a systematic typology of household-level adaptation to coastal flooding does not exist. In order to bridge this gap, we conducted a series of quantitative surveys in different coastal areas in Denmark, Germany and Argentina. We applied a cluster analysis in order to categorise the adaptive behaviour of coastal households. Coastal households were found to cluster in four groups that we term: the comprehensives, the theoreticians, the minimalists and the structurals. With the exception of households focusing on the implementation of high-effort structural measures, our results show the affiliation to these groups to follow a specific temporal sequence. At the same time, large differences in category affiliation exist between the study areas. Risk communication tools can utilise our typology to selectively target specific types of households or to ensure that the information needs of all groups are addressed.
authors.affiliation: Coastal Risks and Sea-Level Rise Research Group, Institute of Geography, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Ludewig-Meyn-Str.14, Kiel, 24098 Germany.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koerth
authors.affiliation: Coastal Risks and Sea-Level Rise Research Group, Institute of Geography, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Ludewig-Meyn-Str.14, Kiel, 24098 Germany.
authors.forename: Athanasios T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Vafeidis
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Hidrología General, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 64 n° 3, 1900 La Plata, Bs As, Argentina.
authors.forename: Silvina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carretero
authors.affiliation: Coastal Risks and Sea-Level Rise Research Group, Institute of Geography, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Ludewig-Meyn-Str.14, Kiel, 24098 Germany.
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sterr
authors.affiliation: Global Climate Forum e.V.(GCF), Neue Promenade 6, Berlin, 10178 Germany.
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hinkel
keywords: Accommodation; Classification; Coastal flooding; Household-level adaptation; Types