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<br />Chapter I <br /> <br />Introduction <br /> <br />The process of human development has been linked to <br />oceans and rivers since the earliest phases of western <br />civiliJ'.ation. Access to ,vater ha<; been essential for sanita- <br />tion, transportation, energ); economic development, de- <br />fense, recreation, and social amenity The preeminence of <br />these factors has fluctuated throughout history, but tbe <br />reliance on water ha';o continued. <br />Parallel to L'ldtural evolution and its need for access <br />to water ha.'i been the development of large segments of <br />the built environment along seacoasts and riverbanks, <br />v.lith human settlement patterns having taken both social <br />and economic advantage of the natural environment <br />However, this pattern has also led to a conflict between <br />natural systems and social systems: The need for direct ac- <br />cess to \vater h~l'i resulted in human occupation of low- <br />lying areas that are subject to periodic inundation <br /> <br />Flood Damage <br />Flooding occurs naturdlly a'i one part of the earth's hydro- <br />logic system It is when this natural event is combined <br />with the human tendency to live at the water's edge that <br />the interaction of natural and social environments pro- <br />duces the potential for disaster Unfortunatel); this poten- <br />tial has been realized repeatedly throughout history, and <br />the conflict is not yet resolved; losses due to flooding con- <br />tinue to increase <br /> <br /> <br />o <br />. <br />. <br />0: <br />~ <br />~ <br />~ <br /> <br />Cultural evolution led to <br />the location of large seg- <br />ment, of the huilt envi- <br />ronment adjacent to water. <br />?his pattern can lead to <br />disaster when flooding <br />occurs. <br /> <br /> <br />Deparunenl of Housing .me! Urhan Dcvclopmem <br /> <br />3 <br />