4.2.5 Principle 5: Short-Term Benefits Are Balanced with Long-Term Outcomes Systems thinking is an investment (and commitment) in time, expertise, relationships, and resources. A systems approach may not always be simple with straightforward outcomes and solutions appearing rapidly. However, collective, multidisciplinary inquiry with a broad array of stakeholders and partners enhances information sharing, develops relationships, and is likely to lead to better decisions, more coordinated actions, added value, leveraged funding, and improved long-term trajectory of a system. A broad multidisciplinary view of a flood risk problem is crucial to a systems approach and effective implementation of NNBF (Principle 1), but cross-disciplinary teams are often challenged by different technical language, embrace conflicting goals, and work at disparate time and space scales. Furthermore, the process of initiating stakeholder engagement can be challenging; however, there is a positive return on investment for doing so. Multiple disciplines and stakeholders can influence NNBF project visioning, objective setting, group investigation, and analysis, as well as the political and social capital brought by different groups and communities. Chapter 3 provides additional guidance on engaging stakeholders in the planning, design, operation, and adaptive management of NNBF solutions. Importantly, a systems approach cannot be embraced with a single round of engagement and planning but instead should be considered an iterative and multistep process. The iterative nature of systems planning makes it a powerful tool for increasing understanding of complex processes, coping with uncertainty, adapting to change through time (e.g., climate change), and evolving the system to match society’s shifting values.
4.3 | Implementation As described in previous sections, there are many benefits of using a systems approach for any risk reduction project, especially those that consider NNBF. However, using a systems perspective in project implementation requires attention to several key issues. This section discusses approaches that can support such efforts through the following key steps: contextualize, analyze, decide, and manage (Sections 4.3.1, 4.3.2, 4.3.3, and 4.3.4, respectively). Each step includes case study examples from around the world to illustrate both challenges and potential solutions. This chapter provides a high-level overview. Generally, a more detailed approach is necessary for the design and construction phases, which are discussed in Chapter 2.
04 | Planning and Implementing NNBF Using a Systems Approach
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