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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.

Non-point pollution from stormwater runoff is one of the greatest threats to water quality in the United States today, particularly in urban karst settings. In these settings, the use of karst features and injection wells for stormwater management results in virtually untreated water being directed into the karst aquifer. Currently, no policies exist specifically to provide water quality protections to karst environments. This study utilized a combination of karst stormwater quality data, along with survey data collected from MS4 Phase II communities, and an analysis of current federal, local, and state water quality regulations, to assess the need for karst-specific water quality regulations. Water quality data indicate that significant levels of contamination are mobilized during storm events, and often are directed into the karst system via Class V injection wells. Survey data collected from MS4 stakeholders in the karst regions of Kentucky indicate stakeholders are generally unable to explain local karst regulations or the steps taken to develop them. This confusion comes in part from insufficient progress on evaluation criteria available for the MS4 Minimum Control Measures (MCMs). Karst waters are often placed into the legal “gray zone” due in part to differences in definitions of key terms in state and federal regulations. This study recommends the development of regulations specific to karst waters at the state and federal levels through either the adaptation of existing or creation of new policies, which place an emphasis on the integration of water quality monitoring and karst education.

In future cities, urban drainage and flood management systems should be designed not only to reliable during normal operating conditions but also to be resilient to exceptional threats that lead to catastrophic failure impacts and consequences. Resilience can potentially be built into urban drainage systems by implementing a range of strategies, for example by embedding redundancy and flexibility in system design or rehabilitation to increase their ability to efficiently maintain acceptable customer flood protection service levels during and after occurrence of failure or through installation of equipment that enhances customer preparedness for extreme events or service disruptions. However, operationalisation of resilience in urban flood management is still constrained by lack of suitable quantitative evaluation methods. Existing hydraulic reliability-based approaches tend to focus on quantifying functional failure caused by extreme rainfall or increases in dry weather flows that lead to hydraulic overloading of the system. Such approaches take a narrow view of functional resilience and fail to explore the full system failure scenario space due to exclusion of internal system failures such as equipment malfunction, sewer (link) collapse and blockage that also contribute significantly to urban flooding. In this research, a new analytical approach based on Global Resilience Analysis (GRA) is investigated and applied to systematically evaluate the performance of an urban drainage system (UDS) when subjected to a wide range of both functional and structural failure scenarios resulting from extreme rainfall and pseudo random cumulative link failure respectively. Failure envelopes, which represent the resulting loss of system functionality (impacts) are determined by computing the upper and lower limits of the simulation results for total flood volume (failure magnitude) and average flood duration (failure duration) at each considered failure level. A new resilience index is developed and applied to link resulting loss of functionality magnitude and duration to system residual functionality (head room) at each considered failure level. With this approach, resilience has been tested and characterized for a synthetic UDS and for an existing UDS in Kampala city, Uganda. In addition, the approach has been applied to quantify the impact of interventions (adaptation strategies) on enhancement of global UDS resilience to flooding. The developed GRA method provides a systematic and computationally efficient approach that enables evaluation of whole system resilience, where resilience concerns ‘beyond failure’ magnitude and duration, without prior knowledge of threat occurrence probabilities. The study results obtained by applying the developed method to the case studies suggest that by embedding the cost of failure in resilience-based evaluation, adaptation strategies which enhance system flexibility properties such as distributed storage and improved asset management are more cost-effective over the service life of UDSs.

The University Area (UA), a low-income, unincorporated neighborhood in Hillsborough County, Florida, is a site of sustainable redevelopment by the local government and nonprofit organizations. Throughout the past decade, the transitions in local and state political climates have significantly impacted the residents’ ability to advocate for infrastructural and environmental improvement to the site. This thesis discusses the findings of a research project dedicated to exploring resident perspectives of stormwater management, infrastructure, and the redevelopment currently occurring the University Area. Drawing from theoretical concepts in political ecology, environmental justice, and the interplay of agency and structure, this research investigates the impacts of flooding on the UA’s residents and infrastructure; specifically, the ways it affects the population’s interaction with their environment. Data were collected using a mixed methods approach including participant observation; semi structured interviews with residents, developers, and community organization employees; ground truthing the area to verify the location of the stormwater drains present in a selection of the UA; a historical review of the area’s land use; and analysis of critical environmental justice databases. Findings indicate that flooding in the University Area is related to historical oppressive housing strategies against minority and low-income populations. Results found that flooding in UA is caused by a combination of faulty infrastructure (impervious surfaces and a subpar, unmaintained stormwater system), increasing rain events (climate change), and the lack of municipality support (power dynamics). The oppressive power dynamic present in the relationship between the residents and their respective property owners and the county municipality services exacerbates problems with flooding. Redevelopment plans in the University Area must address the effects of historical marginalization and disenfranchisement of the current residents with respect to housing segregation and lack of municipality support. Without these considerations, the cycle of disenfranchisement faced by the current residents of the UA will likely continue and worsen over time.

Os padrões atuais de uso e ocupação do solo nas cidades brasileiras têm agravado as dificuldades enfrentadas pela população urbana e o poder público em eventos extremos de cheia. Neste contexto, a regulamentação do uso do solo aliada à identificação das áreas mais suscetíveis aos impactos ocasionados pelas inundações surge como importante estratégia para o desenvolvimento de políticas urbanas municipais. Este trabalho buscou elaborar um conjunto de medidas de intervenção para a regulamentação do uso do solo na área urbana do município de Atibaia, caracterizada pela ocupação desordenada e tendo se desenvolvido às margens do rio Atibaia e seus afluentes. As propostas apresentadas foram fundamentadas no mapeamento das inundáveis, por meio de análise hidrológica, para determinar a probabilidade de ocorrência dos eventos, e hidráulica, para a delimitação da mancha de inundação com base na aplicação do PCSWMM, que integra o modelo SWMM a ferramentas avançadas de geoprocessamento. Através de uma extensa análise dos fatores legais aplicáveis, foi possível identificar os desafios e as perspectivas do planejamento do uso do solo como ferramenta indispensável ao controle de inundações e o gerenciamento dos recursos hídricos. Como resultados, foram apresentadas análises das precipitações e vazões registradas na região, além do cruzamento do mapa de inundação de 100 anos de período de retorno a interfaces físicas e políticas relevantes, como áreas de preservação permanente, áreas de proteção ambiental, densidade demográfica e o próprio zoneamento urbanístico em vigor. Com base neste cenário, foram elencados critérios de ocupação do solo compatíveis com a probabilidade de ocorrência de cheias. As principais diretrizes consistem na remoção das edificações instaladas na zona de maior risco e na contenção da ocupação e adequação a padrões construtivos a prova de enchentes nas demais zonas com restrições. / Current patterns of land use and occupancy in Brazilian cities have exacerbated the difficulties faced by the urban population and the government during extreme flood events. In this context, land use regulation combined with the identification of areas most susceptible to the impacts caused by flooding emerges as an important strategy for the development of local urban policies. This study aimed to develop a set of intervention measures for land use regulation in the urban area of the city of Atibaia, characterized by disordered occupation and developed along the Atibaia river and its tributaries. The suggestions were based on flood mapping carried through hydrologic analysis, to determine the probability of events occurrence, and hydraulics, for the delineation of flood extent based on the application of PCSWMM, which integrates SWMM model with advanced geoprocessing tools. Through an extensive analysis of applicable legal aspects, it was possible to identify challenges and prospects of land use planning as an indispensable tool for flood control and water resources management. The results address analyzes of rainfall and streamflow recorded in the region and the intersection between a 100-year flood map and relevant physical and political interfaces, such as permanent preservation areas, environmental protection areas, population density and the urban zoning currently in place. Based on this scenario, criteria of land use compatible with flooding were listed. The main guidelines consist of the removal of buildings installed in the greater risk areas and of the prevention of occupancy and inducements to adequate flood- proof constructive patterns in other areas where restrictions are required.

Os padrões atuais de uso e ocupação do solo nas cidades brasileiras têm agravado as dificuldades enfrentadas pela população urbana e o poder público em eventos extremos de cheia. Neste contexto, a regulamentação do uso do solo aliada à identificação das áreas mais suscetíveis aos impactos ocasionados pelas inundações surge como importante estratégia para o desenvolvimento de políticas urbanas municipais. Este trabalho buscou elaborar um conjunto de medidas de intervenção para a regulamentação do uso do solo na área urbana do município de Atibaia, caracterizada pela ocupação desordenada e tendo se desenvolvido às margens do rio Atibaia e seus afluentes. As propostas apresentadas foram fundamentadas no mapeamento das inundáveis, por meio de análise hidrológica, para determinar a probabilidade de ocorrência dos eventos, e hidráulica, para a delimitação da mancha de inundação com base na aplicação do PCSWMM, que integra o modelo SWMM a ferramentas avançadas de geoprocessamento. Através de uma extensa análise dos fatores legais aplicáveis, foi possível identificar os desafios e as perspectivas do planejamento do uso do solo como ferramenta indispensável ao controle de inundações e o gerenciamento dos recursos hídricos. Como resultados, foram apresentadas análises das precipitações e vazões registradas na região, além do cruzamento do mapa de inundação de 100 anos de período de retorno a interfaces físicas e políticas relevantes, como áreas de preservação permanente, áreas de proteção ambiental, densidade demográfica e o próprio zoneamento urbanístico em vigor. Com base neste cenário, foram elencados critérios de ocupação do solo compatíveis com a probabilidade de ocorrência de cheias. As principais diretrizes consistem na remoção das edificações instaladas na zona de maior risco e na contenção da ocupação e adequação a padrões construtivos a prova de enchentes nas demais zonas com restrições. / Current patterns of land use and occupancy in Brazilian cities have exacerbated the difficulties faced by the urban population and the government during extreme flood events. In this context, land use regulation combined with the identification of areas most susceptible to the impacts caused by flooding emerges as an important strategy for the development of local urban policies. This study aimed to develop a set of intervention measures for land use regulation in the urban area of the city of Atibaia, characterized by disordered occupation and developed along the Atibaia river and its tributaries. The suggestions were based on flood mapping carried through hydrologic analysis, to determine the probability of events occurrence, and hydraulics, for the delineation of flood extent based on the application of PCSWMM, which integrates SWMM model with advanced geoprocessing tools. Through an extensive analysis of applicable legal aspects, it was possible to identify challenges and prospects of land use planning as an indispensable tool for flood control and water resources management. The results address analyzes of rainfall and streamflow recorded in the region and the intersection between a 100-year flood map and relevant physical and political interfaces, such as permanent preservation areas, environmental protection areas, population density and the urban zoning currently in place. Based on this scenario, criteria of land use compatible with flooding were listed. The main guidelines consist of the removal of buildings installed in the greater risk areas and of the prevention of occupancy and inducements to adequate flood- proof constructive patterns in other areas where restrictions are required.

Awareness of extreme high tide flooding in coastal communities has been increasing in recent years, reflecting growing concern over accelerated sea level rise. As a low-lying, urban coastal community with high value real estate, Miami often tops the rankings of cities worldwide in terms of vulnerability to sea level rise. Understanding perceptions of these changes and how communities are dealing with the impacts reveals much about vulnerability to climate change and the challenges of adaptation. This empirical study uses an innovative mixed-methods approach that combines ethnographic observations of high tide flooding, qualitative interviews and analysis of tidal data to reveal coping strategies used by residents and businesses as well as perceptions of sea level rise and climate change, and to assess the relationship between measurable sea levels and perceptions of flooding. I conduct a case study of Miami Beach’s storm water master planning process which included sea level rise projections, one of the first in the nation to do so, that reveals the different and sometimes competing logics of planners, public officials, activists, residents and business interests with regards to climate change adaptation. By taking a deeply contextual account of hazards and adaptation efforts in a local area I demonstrate how this approach can be effective at shedding light on some of the challenges posed by anthropogenic climate change and accelerated rates of sea level rise. The findings highlight challenges for infrastructure planning in low-lying, urban coastal areas, and for individual risk assessment in the context of rapidly evolving discourse about the threat of sea level rise. Recognition of the trade-offs and limits of incremental adaptation strategies point to transformative approaches, at the same time highlighting equity concerns in adaptation governance and planning. This new impact assessment method contributes to the integration of social and physical science approaches to climate change, resulting in improved understanding of socio-ecological vulnerability to environmental change.

Due to recent summers’ amplified frequency in intense rainstorm events, so-called cloudbursts, in places of the world not normally prone to such extreme weather phenomena, interest has aroused amongst authorities regarding measures to address in order to minimize the devastating impact of the subsequent floods. Such measures include physical planning of the townscape in terms of avoiding water to pond in inappropriate places. An important tool in this process is flood modelling. By utilizing advanced numerical hydraulic models, risk areas in the urban environment can be identified and important flow paths can be detected. A computer model that is able to simulate the two-dimensional surface runoff is MIKE 21, a part of the MIKE by DHI software series for water environment modelling. MIKE 21 comes in two versions, the Classic version and the Flexible Mesh (FM) version. The Classic version employs a structured orthogonal mesh to describe the topography/bathymetry of the computational domain, whilst the FM version bases its general domain description on a triangulated, unstructured mesh. In contrast to the Classic approach, the FM description allows for an altered resolution within the study area. This allows for an increase of the mesh resolution in the proximity of structures that are assumed important for the flood propagation, and a decrease in homogenous areas that are not expected to be as important regarding the general flood distribution. In this report, the suitability of applying the FM version in precipitation-related urban flood modelling purposes has been investigated. The results have been compared to those obtained from the Classic model, which represents the current method employed to perform these kind of analyses. The main investigations have been conducted in scenarios representing a rainfall event with a return period of 100 years. As no calibration data was available for the sites investigated at this kind of extreme event, the results only relate to each other. The results showed no significant difference between the models regarding where water generally will flow and accumulate. However, the spatial and volumetric distribution of the water in risk areas is more severe in the Classic model’s results. This was assessed to be the consequence of a parameter, only existing in the FM model, which suppresses the momentum equations of the model and by doing so, retains water in the mesh elements and prevents it to flow unimpeded until a certain depth is achieved. Too low values of this parameter caused instabilities in the program. Additionally, the required workload to set up the FM model was found significantly higher compared to the Classic model. Accordingly, no sensible reason to change from the Classic to the FM approach in urban flood modelling could be found. / På grund av de senaste somrarnas ökade återkomst av kraftiga och intensiva regn, så kallade skyfall, i delar av världen som vanligtvis inte har varit speciellt utsatta för den här typen av väderfenomen har medvetenheten av deras förstörande kraft ökat bland kommuner och myndigheter. Med det har också intresset kring översvämningsförebyggande åtgärder ökat. Sådana åtgärder inkluderar den fysiska utformningen av stadsbilden ifråga om exempelvis höjdsättning för att undvika vattenansamlingar på olämpliga ställen. I denna process är översvämningsmodellering ett viktigt redskap. Med hjälp av avancerade numeriska hydrauliska modeller kan riskområden samt flödesvägar i stadsmiljön kartläggas. MIKE 21 är en datormodell som kan simulera den tvådimensionella ytavrinningen. MIKE 21 är en del av programsviten MIKE by DHI och återfinns i två versioner, MIKE 21 Classic och MIKE 21 Flexible Mesh (FM). Classicversionen utgår från ett rutnätmönstrat grid för att beskriva topografin/batymetrin i beräkningsdomänen, medan den i FM-versionen bygger på en triangulär, ostrukturerad konstruktion. I och med sin ostrukturerade uppbyggnad tillåter FM-beskrivningen en varierad upplösning inom studieområdet, tillskillnad från Classic-tillvägagångssättet. Detta gör det möjligt att i FM-modellen öka upplösningen i komplexa områden som anses särskilt viktiga för att kunna ge en korrekt bild av översvämningsförloppet, medan en lägre upplösning kan tilldelas mer homogena områden som anses ha en mindre viktig betydelse för den generella översvämningsutbredningen. Den här rapporten har undersökt hur väl MIKE 21 FM lämpar sig i skyfallsanalyser. Resultaten har jämförts mot de resultat som erhållits från Classic-modellen, som representerar det nuvarande tillvägagångssättet att utföra skyfallsanalyser på. Huvudutredningarna byggde på scenarion som kan uppstå när ett 100-årsregn faller över studieområdena. Eftersom ingen mätdata från ett sådant skyfall fanns att tillgå har resultaten från de två modellerna endast jämförts i förhållande till varandra. Resultaten visade inte på några egentliga skillnader ifråga om var vatten ansamlas. Dock kunde det påvisas att både den ytliga och volymetriska utbredningen i och kring ansamlingsplatserna var högre i Classicmodellen. Detta bedömdes ha att göra med en djupparameter som endast återfinns i FM-modellen. Denna parameter styr när modellens momentekvationer tas med i beräkningen. På så sätt styr den när vatten kan flöda mellan elementen i meshet. För låga värden på den leder till instabiliteter i programmet. Vidare visade sig arbetet med att framställa en FM modell vara betydligt mer tidskrävande jämfört med Classicmodellen. Med bakgrund av detta kunde inte någon anledning till varför MIKE 21 Classic skulle frångås i skyfallsanalyser hittas.

Flooding over the last few years has become the most frequent and devastating of the natural disasters. This has accounted for approximately half of the death-rate and a third of economic losses as a result of weather-related events. Though these flooding events affect many cities across the globe, it is often the less fortunate who are disproportionately impacted by such events. There are many factors as to why this is the unfortunate case, with a high number of the underprivileged urban population finding themselves living in informal settlements. These settlements are often developed on environmentally-fragile land on steep sites or floodplains and lack the adequate waste and drainage systems that control the flow of water, further aggravating the flood risk within these areas. These uneven hardships are no different to Cape Town metropolitan region. Flooding has become an annual recurrence for the city during the wet winter months between May and September, with the informal settlements in the Cape Flats low-lying area bearing the brunt of this impact. The research therefore aims to explore how integrated flood control design within urban development can contribute to creating social and environmental sustainable interventions for flood resilience in informal settlements within the Cape Town municipality. One of the most important findings was the strong relation between waste as one of the largest contributors to the flooding events in these settlements, which became a key driver for investigation within the research. Kosovo informal settlement is one of the hardest hit communities during Cape Town’s high rainfall winter seasons and will used as the case study area for the research. The objective of the study is to investigate the existing condition and the involved stakeholders to develop well thought design strategies and toolbox for the municipality, planners, and residents. The design strategies and toolbox provides mechanisms to rethink flood prevention measures by shifting from creating barriers [interrupt], to mechanisms that engage with floodwater [interact] within a case study area. This research has attempted to position the community at the centre. Community participation and collaboration with key stakeholders will allow the residents to contribute with their local knowledge, experience and voices, sharing their views on the design solutions that are required to be integrated into their spaces.