Preventive relocation of households at high hydrogeological risk in Piemonte (Italy)

Piemonte, located in North-west Italy, is the second largest region in the country and home to around 7% of the Italian population. It is characterised by a complex geomorphology, which includes mountains over 43% of its territory (Alps and Appennines), hilly areas and floodplains (Fedato et al. 2023). Around 6% of its territory is at high or very high risk of landslides and around 8% at medium risk of floods. These risks affect the areas of 95% of the municipalities in the region (ISPRA, 2021).

The Po River, which is the longest in Italy, springs from the Cottian Alps in the province of Cuneo in the south-west side of Piemonte. The Po river basin is particularly vulnerable to floods and more will be under future climate conditions (Vezzoli et al. 2015).

Recent studies by the Piemonte regional environmental agency have outlined changes in the regional climate for the period 1981-2010 (ARPA Piemonte, 2020a), as well as future scenarios until the end of the century (ARPA Piemonte, 2020b). Climate change in Piemonte shows more pronounced trends than the global average, particularly at high altitudes. In addition to the increase in temperatures, considerable variations have been observed in the rainfall regime. Those are  increasingly concentrated in time, giving rise to extreme phenomena and resulting in drought periods, flood events, soil erosion and consequent risks of landslides (Regione Piemonte, 2022).

Relocation formally has emerged as a policy option for the prevention of hydrogeological risk since  2003, when a Regional Council decision set the preliminary criteria for subsidizing municipalities in implementing relocation plans for residential buildings. This initiative is built on the experience accumulated by regional officers in previous years in the context of reactive (i.e. ex post) relocations, targeting both owners of residential buildings and productive assets.

A subsequent regulation in 2007 launched a survey to identify the municipalities located in floodplains, which were asked to fill out a form with information on the characteristics of the buildings at high risk. The criteria for disbursing and accessing the relocation funds and priority scales for interventions were defined with regional regulations in 2009, and later refined in 2017, and 2021 (Piemonte region website). The regulation introduces a voluntary residential buyout scheme to encourage households to move away from areas at high hydrogeological risk, as identified by relevant planning instruments. It also allocates funds for owners of vulnerable buildings that cannot be relocated for historical or social reasons.

The regional regulation implements article 67 of the national Legislative Decree 152/2006 (the so called “Italian Environmental Code”). It covers relocation and other planning instruments against hydrogeological risk to be adopted at the river basin district level. According to this article, regional authorities must set incentive measures that owners of productive activities or residential buildings can access for relocating assets away from risky areas. Regions, after consulting with relevant local authorities (municipalities), prepare a plan for granting the financial incentives for relocation. The incentive allocation is based on priority criteria related to the level of risk. The financial incentives, which are also meant to cover demolition costs, are paid through resources generated by State fees on the use of public water. Whenever those entitled to access the incentives do not apply,  they forfeit any benefits or compensations they could receive in case of damages caused by natural disasters.

The regional regulation also recall the EU Floods Directive (2007/60/CE) and the Flood Risk Management Plan of the Po river basin (FRMP), the last one approved in 2016. The measures envisaged by the regulation refer to  M22 (relocation) and M23 (vulnerability reduction). These types of measures are also envisaged by the EU Guidance for Reporting under the Floods Directive.

Costs

According to the Italian Environmental Code, incentives for relocation are provided through resources generated by State fees on the use of public water. The Region allocates 900 000 EUR each year in the regional budget for relocation interventions. As relocated households are not asked to contribute, the whole cost is on taxpayers.

From 2009 to 2024, the total cost of the buyout scheme amounted to 5 347 715.51 EUR. It includes purchasing costs (transfers to households, € 4 730 918.7 EUR - spent) and demolition costs (€ 1 116 868.66 EUR spent and pledged).

Benefits

Relocation increases the safety of people. It allows those that are directly targeted by the measure to move permanently away from high-risk areas (direct beneficiaries). It also reduces the risk of those leaving downstream/downhill through the removal of exposed buildings (indirect beneficiaries).

The Piemonte Region motivates this relocation policy in terms of cost-effectiveness and saving of public money. Moving people away from high-risk areas involves lower investments than protecting a small number of residents at risk or continuously providing ex post compensations to those affected. However, no formal cost-benefit analysis has been undertaken.

A buyout scheme was introduced by regional regulations for residential property owners – both primary and secondary residents -whose houses are located in areas at high hydrogeological risk, as identified by relevant planning instruments. These planning instruments include the urban plans, developed at municipal level, the “hydrological system plan” (Piano Assetto Idrologico) of the Po River basin and the regional law 56/1977 about land use and soil preservation. They identify areas of built-up territory exposed to high geomorphological hazard and at high risk, for which no further urban use is possible.

The regulation sets priority criteria for disbursing the available funds, including type of residence (primary prioritised over secondary), level of risk faced, and type of hazard (landslide and avalanches over riverine floods, whenever the former are less predictable).

Households are provided with a “relocation grant” that can be used either to buy or build a new property or as a form of indemnity. The maximum grantable amount is calculated by multiplying the value of 1034 euros/m2 (which is calculated taking the maximum cost per m² for the construction of new subsidised social housing as defined by regional resolution) by the surface of the house to be relocated (up to 200 m²). A coefficient is then applied. It depends on whether the house is used as primary or secondary residence, with primary residents getting the full amount and secondary residents 75%. If applicants opt for the indemnity, they receive 50% of the amount they would get if they chose to buy/build a new property. Regardless of the relocation grant chosen, the original property is then demolished.

In order to access the relocation grant, the property owner submits an application to the municipality. The municipality, after having checked the application against the admissibility criteria, prepares a project for the demolition of the building and then forwards a relocation proposal to the Piemonte Region. The Regional authority assesses the relocation proposal by the municipality. If the proposal meets the criteria, it transfers the resources to the Municipality to cover both the relocation grant for the property owner and the demolition costs for the building at risk.

In the case that the property owner is entitled to access the relocation grant but decides not to adhere to the buyout scheme, they forfeit any benefits or compensations they could receive in case of damages caused by natural disasters.

As of April 2024, 52 buyouts have been implemented: 26 targeted primary residents and 25 secondary residents.

With respect to the type of relocation grant chosen, 89% of primary residents opted for purchasing/building a new house against 42% of secondary residents. This can be explained by the fact that secondary residents typically own holiday houses and are therefore less in need to find a new property and more willing to accept a monetary indemnity.

The regional regulation also introduces vulnerability reduction measures for those buildings that cannot be relocated because of their historical or social value or the peculiar configuration of the urban layout. As of April 2024, one vulnerability reduction measure is being implemented in the municipality of Bussoleno. In this municipality, it is impossible to construct embankments or to carry out other hydraulic works to protect against a 200-year flood. Thus, the municipality presented a project aimed at reducing the vulnerability of dwellings at risk through the replacement of existing windows and doors with watertight alternatives. The Piemonte Region has transferred 650.000 EUR to the municipality for the implementation of the measures.

Most buyouts were carried out in the municipalities of Pragelato (n=14) and Villar Pellice (n=10) in the mountain area of the province of Torino and in Bussoleno (n=4). In the latter, vulnerability reduction measures are also being implemented. These municipalities undertook extensive consultations with affected households to enhance their participation to the scheme.

However, the regional regulation about relocation does not provide any guidance on whether and how stakeholder participation should be conducted. Therefore, it is left to the goodwill of municipal technical officers and mayors to set up meetings with affected households.

While not setting up a formal co-creation process, in 2024 the Piemonte regional authority organised meetings with municipalities and households involved in the scheme. The meetings aimed at integrating their views on how the measure could be improved in view of a planned review of the regional regulation. At the same time, discussions are underway on how to increase the visibility of the scheme to better inform the public.

The following success and limiting factors emerged from the implementation of the relocation grant.

Success factors:

• Institutional and political commitment: the preventive relocation programme in Piemonte is unique in Italy. It was devised thanks to the commitment of regional officers and council members that saw the value in starting this process;
• Availability of funds (900.000 EUR per year) coming from State fees on the use of public water and managed by Piemonte region;
• Property appraisal that incentivisess preventive relocation, as based on the values of new subsidised social housing;
• Sharing the problem with relevant stakeholders and allowing households at risks to undertand the problem emerged as a key element for the success of the intervention. This was shown in Villar Pellice, one of the first municipalities that adhered to the scheme.

Limiting factors:

• Limited dedicated human and economic resources at both regional and municipal level to implement the programme;
• Varying levels of capacity to implement the programme across the municipalities involved, which affects both the ability to involve households at risk and the implementation timeframes;
• Limited awareness of  the public about the risks their property face and about the possibility to resort to the relocation measure;
• Difficulties in reaching consensus among all property owners in apartment blocks, which is nevertheless needed to proceed with the demolition of the building at risk;
• Resistance from primary residents to leave their house.

Considering the last point, the relatively high application to the relocation grant by secondary residents (compared to primary residents) raised some concerns about the effectiveness of the measure to reach the most exposed people.    Public authorities identified several reasons why involving primary residents remains a challenge. A key reason is the emotional attachment to the property. However, the regional authority sees value in keeping a focus of the measure on secondary residents both from a cost-benefits perspective (i.e. to avoid compensation claims for incurred damages) and also in terms of risk reduction as the building should be demolished anyway. Discussions are underway on how the scheme could be improved to promote a greater involvement of primary residents.

Costs

According to the Italian Environmental Code, incentives for relocation are provided through resources generated by State fees on the use of public water. The Region allocates 900 000 EUR each year in the regional budget for relocation interventions. As relocated households are not asked to contribute, the whole cost is on taxpayers.

From 2009 to 2024, the total cost of the buyout scheme amounted to 5 347 715.51 EUR. It includes purchasing costs (transfers to households, 4 730 918.7 EUR - spent) and demolition costs (1 116 868.66 EUR - spent and pledged).

Benefits

Relocation increases the safety of people. It allows those that are directly targeted by the measure to move permanently away from high-risk areas (direct beneficiaries). It also reduces the risk of those leaving downstream/downhill through the removal of exposed buildings (indirect beneficiaries).

The Piemonte Region motivates this relocation policy in terms of cost-effectiveness and saving of public money. Moving people away from high-risk areas involves lower investments than protecting a small number of residents at risk or continuously providing ex post compensations to those affected. However, no formal cost-benefit analysis has been undertaken.

Buyout schemes have been implemented since 2009. Relocation grants are issued quite quickly after they have been approved. Demolition time of buildings identified as at high-risk, varies depending on the capacity of the involved municipalities.

The relocation is permanent. The regional regulation establishing relocation mechanisms evolved through several revisions. Preparatory works to assess possible new improvements to the regulation started in 2024.

Antonia Impedovo
Piazza Piemonte - Piano 16 – Torino
Email: antonia.impedovo@regione.piemonte.it
difesasuolo@regione.piemonte.it

Elisa Calliari
elisa.calliari@cmcc.it