Laura Kasuni Wathe

Socio-demographic vulnerabilities and flood risk in urban transportation: A London case study

Urban flooding is a growing threat to cities worldwide, posing complex challenges that extend beyond physical infrastructure to encompass deep-seated social inequities. Conventional risk assessments often treat environmental exposure and social vulnerability in isolation, failing to capture the compounded nature of risk where these dimensions intersect spatially.

This study investigates where social deprivation, flood exposure, and transport disruption coincide in London, revealing spatial patterns of compounded vulnerability. Using integrated spatial analysis of deprivation indices, flood risk data, and public transport accessibility measures, the research identifies statistically significant neighbourhood clusters where both social disadvantage and flood-induced transport inaccessibility are high. These hotspot clusters, found in parts of West (Ealing, Hounslow, Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent), North/Northeast (Enfield, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Redbridge), and East (Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Bexley) London, represent areas where vulnerable populations face heightened exposure and limited accessibility during flood events.

These results challenge conventional risk assessment frameworks that often model hazards and social vulnerabilities separately, or rely on non-spatial, aggregate analyses. By demonstrating that overlapping vulnerabilities are not randomly distributed but are spatially clustered and socially patterned, this study highlights the need for a holistic, integrated approach. It calls for the development of equity-focused adaptation strategies that prioritize investments in resilient transport infrastructure and sustainable drainage solutions for London's most vulnerable communities. The study contributes to emerging frameworks for urban climate resilience by centring social justice within spatial risk analysis and suggests further research into cascading infrastructure failures and adaptation outcomes.