The land uses and flood protection structures that existed throughout the upper Mississippi River watershed in 1993 played significant roles in the 1993 flood. These patterns of land use and structural flood protection are repeated throughout the Missouri and Illinois river systems as well as the upper Mississippi itself. The land uses and infrastructure in the floodplain are products of decisions made by thousands of individuals over several decades. In times both of tight budgets at all levels of government and of increasing public concern about protecting and expanding natural wetlands, there is increasing awareness of the need for comprehensive floodplain management and recognition of the natural role riparian wetlands play in storing floodwater and mitigating flood peaks.
Urban areas are concentrations of population, property investment, and infrastructure.
This makes it relatively easy for the public to decide to repair and even improve flood control structures protecting cities. The decision is not so clear-cut in the case of rural areas. Rural areas have much lower values per unit area and, due to their geographic extent, very much lower values per mile of protecting levee. These conditions make it more difficult to justify protection. Furthermore, leaving rural areas with little or no protection could reduce the investment needed to protect the cities.