Participatory approaches promoting flood risk knowledge and self-protection behaviours in Liguria, northern Italy

Abstract. Participatory approaches are increasingly recognized as effective strategies for enhancing risk awareness and promoting inclusive decision-making processes in the context of natural hazards. Nevertheless, communicating risk to the general public remains a significant challenge, often facing indifference, low engagement, or resistance. This study investigates the potential of co-designed and participatory methodologies to strengthen flood-risk communication and awareness among young people in two towns in northern Italy. High-school students, including participants with disabilities, were actively engaged in the reconstruction of past flood events and evaluation of residential buildings’ physical vulnerability through field surveys, data collection, and data analysis activities supported by web applications developed through co-design. In addition, the students took part in educational pathways integrating visual elements, colours, emotions, narratives, and sounds, thereby fostering a multisensory understanding of flood-related phenomena. Insights from student participation and interactive discussions, cognitive and emotional engagement, high-quality co-designed outputs suggest as these experiential and participatory approaches substantially contributed to students’ understanding of flood dynamics, geo-hydrological risk, and the impacts of climate change. In addition, successful peer-to-peer dissemination experiences highlighted the emergence of students as effective intermediaries in risk-communication processes, facilitating peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and promoting dialogue with local communities and decision-makers. Overall, this work underscores as co-designed initiatives not only enhance knowledge and awareness of geo-hydrological risks but also encourage proactive behaviours and strengthen long-term resilience at both individual and community levels.