What does ‘mapping risks‘ mean in a risk society?

Abstract

Governments use mapping of natural and industrial risks as a regulatory tool for managing risks and anticipating their consequences in terms of land use planning. However, it often fails to take into account the spatial and temporal dynamics specific to each risk situation. In Risk Society, Ulrich Beck shows that it is not just a question of juxtaposing heterogeneous dimensions but also of showing the links between the spatialities and temporalities of risks. Moreover, mapping in a risk society means developing new risk metrics and revealing the many translations the latter entail. The article thus proposes taking a navigational approach to overcome the limits of traditional risk mapping.