Changes in land use within flood hazard areas between 1990 and 2018 in EU countries

The main aim of the article is to assess the effectiveness of non-technical flood protection measures used in flood risk management as exemplified by the experience of Germany, Poland and Slovakia. For its implementation, relationships concerning changes in land use (between 1990 and 2018) of flood hazard areas (with 1% probability of flood occurrence) were identified, along with changes in legislation in three countries determining land development in those areas. The identification of historical changes will allow for the development of methods and procedures which are helpful in forecasting the development of the areas in question. Analysis has shown that the changes in land use within studied areas are closely related to legal aspects, especially the restrictions resulting from the implementation of the Floods Directive (2007/60/EC). Regarding the intensity of development in flood-prone areas, several periods can be distinguished in these countries. In the case of Poland and Slovakia, there are two periods: the first, when the intensity of development was highest between 1990 and 2006, largely due to the lack of appropriate legal provisions to inhibit development in flood-prone areas. The second period, from 2006 to 2012, shows the impact of EU regulations and a decrease in development intensity. In contrast, in Germany, the most intensity of development occurred between 2006 and 2012.