Karlstad och vattnet
En studie av hur förhållningssättet till översvämningsrisk har förändrats i Karlstads kommun sedan 1950-talet
The location on the river delta of Klarälven, adjacent to lake Vänern, makes Karlstad one of the Swedish cities where a significant flood risk is present. The city has several major floods in its memory which has caused great material damage and economic losses, the latest of which occurred in the winter of year 2000/2001. The purpose of the study is to examine how the approach to flood risk has changed in the municipality of Karlstad since the 1950s, and how this change has affected the current situation regarding the city's vulnerability to flooding. To investigate this, a document analysis was conducted, where key documents in the media and from the municipality of Karlstad was studied. Furthermore, an interview study was conducted with respondents who currently are employed or previously have been employed in the municipality of Karlstad, who in various ways work with issues of flood risk. The result of the study shows that several changes have taken place since the 1950s in terms of the municipality's approach to flood risk, which for instance has led to preventative measures being taken to a greater extent than previously in the physical planning. The flooding that occured in the winter year 2000/2001, along with the governmental climate and vulnerability inquiry that was released in 2007, was described by the respondents as the starting point for this change. Since then, awareness and knowledge of flood risk has increased, not only among municipal officials, but also among politicians, local residents and developers.