FRIAR 2018 is the sixth Conference of this successful series. The conference started at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London 2008 and was reconvened at the Lombardy Region Headquarters in Milano in 2010, Dubrovnik in 2012, Poznan in 2014 and Venice in 2016. Since 2012 a parallel seminar on the Design, Construction, Maintenance, Monitoring and Control of Urban Water has taken place which is now an integral part of the conference.

Flooding is a global phenomenon that claims numerous lives worldwide each year. When flooding occurs in urban areas, it can cause substantial damage to property as well as threaten human life. In addition, many more people must endure the homelessness, upset and disruption that are left in the wake of floods. The increased frequency of flooding in the last few years, coupled with climate change predictions and urban development, suggest that these impacts are set to worsen in the future. How we respond and importantly, adapt to these challenges is key to developing our long-term resilience at the property, community and city scale.

Apart from the physical damage to buildings, contents and loss of life, which are the most obvious, impacts of floods upon households, other more indirect losses are often overlooked. These indirect and intangible impacts are generally associated with disruption to normal life as well as longer-term health issues including community displacements and stress-related illnesses. Flooding represents a major barrier to the alleviation of poverty in many parts of the developing world, where vulnerable communities are often exposed to sudden and life-threatening events.