Natural and unnatural complexities: flood control along Manitoba's Assiniboine River

Flooding and flood control long have been topics of concern for geographers and historians of North America, from Gilbert White's foundational work to attempts to understand the recent disaster in New Orleans. This paper considers the problem of flood control along the Assiniboine River in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The first section addresses the local landscape and the larger context, explaining changes in the relevant human and physical geography. The second section examines efforts to mitigate flooding, focusing on how the risk of inundation was shifted in location (not eliminated altogether) and compounded through time (not progressively resolved). The third focuses on a further source of complexity: the contested character of government jurisdiction. This final section also addresses major mid twentieth century changes in mitigation efforts: in the light of flooding on an unprecedented scale, governments became more open to compromise and more willing to undertake substantial projects. Gilbert White asserted that while floods are natural occurrences, flood damages are the responsibility of humanity. The question of responsibility might seem relatively clear in relation to flood mitigation, given that dykes are human constructions. The history of flood mitigation along the Assiniboine would suggest, however, that assigning responsibility for the failures and successes of flood mitigation is not so straightforward.     

文化遗产保护中的风险评估——以“台州府城墙”洪灾为例

文化遗产风险管理是近十年国际、国内文化遗产保护领域越来越引起重视的课题之一,而风险评估是风险管理的重要环节。本文以ICCROM-CCI-ICN三家研究机构制定的"风险管理"体系为主要依据,以"台州府城墙"洪灾研究为实例,介绍风险管理基本概念,探讨文化遗产"风险评估"的研究方法,并结合台州府城墙保护实践思考遗产风险评估对文化遗产保护的影响。