The land registry information as a tool for analysis of exposure to flood hazard

Abstract

Risk analysis in urban areas is a legal requirement in Spain. The state legislation of land and various regional regulations of territorial and urban planning include an obligation to produce maps showing the risk in land use processes. In the last three decades flood risk has increased significantly in some Spanish regions due to an increase in human occupation of flood-prone areas. Cadastral data becomes a powerful tool for the assessment of exposure to flood hazards. This paper analyzes the potential of this information and its integration with the maps of National Cartographic System of Flood Zones in an area of the Mediterranean coastal region that has experienced a significant increase in its housing stock. This method of analysis is applicable to other territories for the assessment of exposure to risk and the elaboration of detail mapping.