Floodplains are a fundamental source of multiple functions and services. Despite their various benefits, a dramatic reduction in floodplain areas has occurred in most large river systems over the last few centuries, and is still ongoing. Human modifications (such as river regulation, dam construction, and land use changes) due to economic growth, increasing population size, etc., were and still are drivers of major floodplain losses. Therefore, studies offering solutions for floodplain preservation and restoration are of great importance for sustainable floodplain management. This paper presents methods to identify active, former, and potential floodplains, and their application to the Danube River. We used hydraulic data, historical sources, and recent geospatial data to delineate the three floodplain types. Fifty hydraulically active floodplains larger than 500 ha were identified. According to our results, the extent of Danube floodplains has been reduced by around 79%. With the support of different representatives from the Danube countries, we identified 24 potential floodplains. However, the share of active and potential floodplains in relation to former floodplains ranges between 5% and 49%, demonstrating the huge potential for additional restoration sites. This analysis contributes to an understanding of the current and the past floodplain situation, increases awareness of the dramatic floodplain loss along the Danube, and serves as a basis for future floodplain management.

Flood risk managers face increasing challenges in anticipating future developments and coordinating flood risk management on a regional level. The regional floodplain evaluation matrix (RegioFEM), a method to support a future‐oriented flood risk management at a regional scale, was applied in a section of the Raab River in Austria. The developed method uses several parameters assessing the consequences of changes in the study area, which lead to changes in flood risk. Settlement development, planned flood protection measures and the likely increase of flood runoff due to climatic changes are considered. Parameters include hydrological (e.g., peak reduction), hydraulic (inundation area), spatial (affected buildings) and monetary (damage potential) ones. The results of the application of the RegioFEM were presented at a regional expert workshop, conducted to gain feedback about the possibilities and limitations of implementing the method into practice. Considering future changes and evaluating their impacts on flood risk can provide stakeholders and decision makers valuable information for sustainable flood risk management.

Die Anzahl der Berichte über Hochwasserereignisse fernab von Gewässern und daraus resultierende Schäden, ausgelöst von Niederschlagsereignissen und den daraus entstehenden Abflussprozessen, steigt in Österreich in den letzten Jahren an. Vor allem in der Steiermark werden zurzeit einige Untersuchungen bzw. Projekte durchgeführt, die sich dem Thema der pluvialen Überflutungen über verschiedenste Ansätze nähern. Anhand einer durchgeführten Untersuchung im Rahmen der Dokumentation und Analyse der Hochwassersaison 2016 in der Steiermark an betroffenen Gebäuden werden die Entstehung pluvialer Überflutung, die dadurch entstehenden Schäden und die sich ergebenden Konsequenzen beleuchtet. Da pluvialen Hochwässern sowohl unterschiedliche Prozesse zugrunde liegen, als auch verschiedenste Fachbereiche Aufgaben in der Vorsorge, der Bewältigung und der Nachsorge übernehmen, liegt der Schwerpunkt der Bearbeitung auf einem integralen Betrachtungsansatz. Die Daten aus dem laufenden Projekt bilden eine wichtige Grundlage für weitere strategische Überlegungen im Umgang mit diesem sensiblen Thema. The number of reports on flood events far-off from water bodies and resulting damage, caused by rainfall events and the resulting discharge processes, has increased in Austria in recent years. Especially in Styria several studies and projects are being carried out which are analysing the subject of pluvial flooding over various approaches. This article intends to provide an overview of the subject matter. Based on a survey of affected buildings during the flood season 2016, the development of pluvial flooding, the resulting damages and the arising consequences are highlighted. An integrative approach on the topic of pluvial floodwaters needs to be made as those floods are based on different discharge processes and different areas of responsibility take over precautionary measures and follow-up care after flood events. The data from the ongoing project form an important basis for further strategic considerations in dealing with this sensitive topic.

This contribution presents an integrated method to inform future‐oriented flood risk management across policy domains at the scale of river sections and (sub)catchments. The RegioFEM (Regional Floodplain Evaluation Matrix) combines approaches from hydrology, hydraulic engineering, spatial planning and stakeholder engagement to assess the dynamic changes in floodplains in consideration of projected investments in flood protection, expected settlement and infrastructure development and the likely climate‐induced changes in flood runoff. In this paper, we present the step‐by‐step approach of the RegioFEM, outlining how the method can be applied and replicated in practice in support of catchment‐oriented and forward‐looking flood management policies. The RegioFEM builds on the understanding of floodplains as coupled human and natural systems. It supports the simple comparative evaluation of the expected impacts of future developments in riparian areas on flood risk change and thus provides a basis to anticipate reciprocal effects between flood defence and land development to improve the sectoral interplay of integrated flood policies.