Urban flooding presents a significant challenge to cities worldwide, resulting in loss of life and economic damage. Factors such as urbanization, climate change, and extreme weather events compound the vulnerability of urban areas to flooding, with rapid urbanization emerging as a primary driver of increased flood risk. In response to this pressing issue, this thesis embarks on a transformative exploration, advocating for a paradigm shift in urban stormwater management through the lens of "Hydro-Urbanism." Central to this concept is recognizing stormwater as a valuable resource rather than a mere liability. By implementing targeted strategies to curb runoff, detain stormwater, and replenish groundwater, cities can mitigate the adverse impacts of urban flooding while enhancing resilience and livability. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature and analysis of case studies, this research explores the efficacy of diverse stormwater management techniques in alleviating urban flooding and fostering sustainable urban development. In addition to technical aspects, the study delves into the socioeconomic dimensions of Hydro-Urbanism, highlighting the significance of community engagement and participatory planning in creating resilient and inclusive urban environments. Focused on Hyderabad city in Telangana, India, this project lies at the intersection of cultural heritage and modernity, confronting significant challenges posed by urban flooding amidst rapid urban expansion. By reframing the narrative around water from vulnerability to resilience and opportunity, the project aims to harness the power of stormwater as a catalyst for change. A tailored typology-based approach seeks to nurture a future where cities and water coexist harmoniously, protecting urban areas from flooding and fostering a more harmonious relationship between urban communities and the natural world. / Master of Science / Urban flooding, characterized by the inundation of urban streets, buildings, and infrastructure, arises when rainwater overwhelms drainage systems or water bodies overflow due to heavy rainfall or storms. It is a significant challenge faced by cities globally, leading to property damage, transportation disruptions, and risks to public safety. In response to the pressing issue of urban flooding, this project adopts a novel approach called "Hydro-Urbanism," emphasizing the interconnection between water and urban landscapes and aiming to transform how cities manage stormwater resources. Unlike traditional methods that view stormwater as a problem to be mitigated, Hydro-Urbanism recognizes stormwater as a valuable resource that can be harnessed for various purposes. It seeks to establish a symbiotic relationship between urban environments and water, wherein stormwater is managed strategically to mitigate flooding risks and enhance urban resilience while improving the quality of urban life. Amid rapid urbanization, exemplified vividly in cities like Hyderabad in the Telangana state of India, the balance between expanding urban sprawl and natural ecosystems has become increasingly fragile. Here, the challenge of managing stormwater looms large, threatening public safety, infrastructure integrity, and economic stability. Nevertheless, what if we could flip this narrative? What if stormwater could be a resource instead of being a menace? Focused on Hyderabad, a city at the crossroads of tradition and modernity, this project proposes a typology-based approach tailored to its unique urban fabric. By harnessing the potential of stormwater, the project aims to pave the way for a more resilient and adaptive urban future. Ultimately, the goal is to foster a harmonious coexistence between urban communities and stormwater resources, ensuring cities' long-term viability and well-being in the face of environmental uncertainties.

With an increasing urban population, urban areas around the world face great challenges in sustaining its inhabitants without losing its natural values. Fragmentation of the urban green areas is inevitable, causing the biodiversity to decline and the ecosystem services to weaken. In Stockholm, ten large green areas stretch from the inner parts of the city outwards to the more rural parts of the county -these are called the green wedges of Stockholm. The green wedges bring nature closer to the urban dwellers and strengthen the urban ecosystems, which provides the citizens with vital ecosystem services. The population of Stockholm is growing rapidly and is expected to increase with almost 50% by 2050, putting a massive pressure on the development of new dwellings. Suitable and vacant areas for exploitation are rare and so the green areas around and within the city are often encroached or destroyed. The green wedge area is decreasing due to exploitation and there is no real means of protection for a majority of the wedges. The comprehensive plans [översiktsplaner] and regional plans [regional planer] are not legally binding, hence the continuous infringing of the green wedge area. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive picture of the green wedges of Stockholm, its past, present and future challenges as well as possible solutions. By using methods such as GIS analysis, a decrease of green wedge area in the new regional development plan RUFS 2050 compared to the old regional development plan RUFS 2010 was found. The green wedges are diminishing and only a small part, 24 %, is protected. New ways of protecting the green wedge area could be relevant to enable a suitable inclusion within urban planning. A sustainable urban region with a healthy and sound population is dependent on green areas close to residential areas. When encroaching parts of the green wedges it will have an impact on the green infrastructure within the whole of Stockholm County, which, inevitably, will affect the urban ecosystems that provide essential ecosystem services to the city dwellers. There is a need for a clear political vision, proper legally binding guidelines as well as improved and extensive inter-municipal collaborations to make the future of the green wedges prosperous.

This thesis research investigates and contributes to increased knowledge on municipalities’ approaches to climate adaptation and associated challenges that slow down or hinder climate adaptation approaches in cities. The Stockholm region has experienced climate change and impacts of severe floods, heat waves, storms, sea level rise, forest-fire outbreaks, erosion and landslides. To control the frequency and magnitude of these impacts, local authorities and administrations need to integrate mitigation and adaptation management strategies into physical plans of towns and cities. Surveys carried out in 2016 and 2017 consecutively, evaluate municipalities’ efforts in climate adaptation in different counties in Sweden. The survey report in 2017 reveals that not all municipalities are equally implementing climate adaptation in Stockholm county; and yet the impacts of climate change are to affect all municipalities regardless of size and geographical location. Therefore, to understand the state of climate change adaptation in the municipalities, the author interviewed municipal planners, engineers, environmental investigators, and climate group in Botkyrka, to collect qualitative data for analysis. Data was also gathered through qualitative document analysis to compare drivers of municipality approaches to climate adaptation in Botkyrka and Ekerö municipality. The study results show that there is a gap between Botkyrka and Ekerö municipalities’ climate adaptation work. However, much as these two municipalities are sustainably eveloping, they face a number of challenges that hamper their ability to integrate climate adaptation measure in urban physical plans in order to reduce urban vulnerabilities, and thus build sustainable and climate-resilient cities. / Denna uppsatsforskning undersöker och bidrar till ökad kunskap om kommunernas strategier för klimatanpassning och associerade utmaningar som bromsar eller hindrar klimatanpassningsmetoder i städer. Stockholmsregionen har upplevt klimatförändringar och konsekvenser av allvarliga översvämningar, värmeböljor, stormar, havsnivåer, skogsbränder utbrott, erosion och jordskred. För att styra frekvensen och omfattningen av dessa effekter, behöver kommuner och förvaltningar integrera klimatanpassnings strategier för hantering av begränsnings- och anpassningsåtgärder i fysiska planer av städer. Undersökningar som genomförts under 2016 och 2017 efter varandra, utvärdera kommunernas insatser i klimatanpassning i olika län i Sverige. Undersökningsrapporten i 2017 avslöjar att inte alla kommuner genomför lika klimatanpassning i Stockholms län; och ändå effekterna av klimatförändringarna påverkar alla kommuner oberoende av storlek och geografiska läge. För att förstå tillståndet för klimatanpassning i kommunerna, intervjuade jag kommunala planerare, ingenjörer, miljömässiga utredare och klimat gruppen i Botkyrka kommun, med syftet att samla in kvalitativa data för analys. Jag samlade också data genom kvalitativ dokumentanalys för att jämföra faktorer som driver kommunernas klimatanpassningsarbete. Resultaten från studien visar att det finns en lucka mellan Botkyrka och Ekerö kommunernas klimatanpassnings arbete. Dock, även om dessa två kommuner utvecklar hållbart, står de inför ett antal utmaningar som hämmar deras förmåga att integrera klimatanpassningsåtgärder i urbana fysiska planer för att minska urbana sårbarheter, och därmed bygga hållbara och klimattåliga städer.