Spatial planning as a tool of flood risk management in rural landscapes? Position, limitations, and other findings: The case of Myjava Region (Slovakia)

Abstract In the context of flood risk management, the application of spatial planning is challenging. This article specifies the position of spatial planning in the context of flood risk management in Slovakia. Through a case study, it assesses the potential of municipal spatial plans to reduce flood risk in rural landscapes. The analysis of municipal spatial plans includes the following aspects: the legislative framework, the actionability of spatial plans and the competences of municipalities. The results showed that in terms of key aspects of flood risk management in the rural landscape, i.e. reducing flood risk through the application of eco-stabilisation measures and reducing the negative consequences of floods through the functional and spatial arrangement of the rural landscape, spatial plans have the status of a formal document. There are several reasons for this. The first one is centralised governance of flood risk. The second reason is the flood risk policy where protection by the technical infrastructure is dominant. The third reason is inconsistent use of municipal powers to reduce flood risk based on a spatial plan. The expectation that the municipalities’ spatial plans could contribute to effective flood risk management in the rural landscape thus remains a challenge.