Strengthening resilience to flooding through social links and artistic and federative events in the Aulne valley

Cerema is one of the eight partners of the BRIC (Building Resilience in Flood Disadvantaged Communities) action-research project (2021-2023). This project is funded under the European Union's Interreg Channel programme and supported by the European Regional Development Fund.

The hypothesis of the project is that the social link favours collective initiatives and reinforces resilience to floods and the effects of climate change. Involving people and raising their awareness of flood risks is at the heart of all the project's activities.

The Aulne valley, a pilot site for the BRIC project, a testing ground for a range of complementary actions

Cerema was in charge of activities in the Aulne valley, one of the eight test sites for the BRIC project. These activities are part of a positive and unifying vision around the Aulne, a strong marker of the territory's identity. Indeed, an inclusive vision around the themes of the river seems to be more effective than a communication centred on flooding. The proposed actions are therefore based on the presence of water, its uses, the relationship of the populations to the river and their perception of water-related risks.

Within the framework of the BRIC project, an iterative process was followed. Each action led to lessons that guided the development of the following actions. Initially, a territorial diagnosis completed by two types of survey allowed us to discover and appropriate the territory: semi-directed interviews with institutional actors and an appreciative survey with the inhabitants. These surveys also enabled us to publicise the BRIC project and to initiate partnerships with local actors.

In particular, the involvement of the Polysonnance social centre was essential to adapt our actions to the inhabitants of the Aulne valley. In a second phase, a series of actions were carried out:

• A radio report on the Aulne valley was produced by the association La Traverse. It allows the inhabitants to share their experiences and their relationship with the Aulne.
• A "story map" (narrative blog) was created in collaboration with Ogoxe to highlight the Aulne valley. It is based on the following themes: the history of the area, the physical characteristics of the area (including flooding), the hidden treasures of the valley, and the outlook for the area.
• A collaborative flood map has been put online: everyone can share photos of flooding in the Aulne valley.
• A photographic exhibition on flooding in the Aulne valley has been created.
• An artistic walk to raise awareness of flooding was proposed by La Folie Kilomètre. It was a moment of exchange based on visual and performing arts. It was built with the help of creative workshops with schoolchildren and inhabitants.
• A workshop was organised by La Traverse on the perspectives of the territory in a perspective of transition.

Federating around the organisation of a festival

The final objective of the actions carried out in the Aulne valley was the organisation of a festival "Au fil de l'Aulne". This event took place on 24 and 25 September 2022 in three municipalities: Saint-Coulitz, Châteaulin and Port-Launay. The festival was a festive and unifying event, as well as a place for information, awareness-raising and exchange. A whole range of activities was proposed: exhibitions to raise awareness about flooding, artistic walks, activities by local associations or structures, meals, shows, etc. These activities all had the Aulne in common.

This festival was co-organised with local actors (municipalities, Polysonnance social centre, Epaga, Cerema). The construction of the programme involved many local structures (festival committees, sports associations, rescue center, department, environmental and scientific mediation associations, etc.), including those with whom the activities carried out as part of the BRIC project had been carried out in the area.

The organisation of this event with the actors of the territory allowed to generate a dynamic. The local actors have taken ownership of the event and wish to repeat it every two years in the future, a sign of the success of this first edition and the fact that it responds to territorial issues.