Urban Flood Management

This text was prepared as a basis for a course of the same title aimed at decision-makers, professionals of various fields of knowledge, working in the field of the urban environment as administrators, legislators, engineers, architects, geologists, biologists and others. The course aims to present a comprehensive view of the management of urban rainwater, which will also include urban drainage and river flooding in cities. The course does not address project-specific aspects, but attempts to tackle the strategic aspects of management and the interfaces with the various aspects of urban water and other elements of city planning and management.
This course was initially given in Brazil and later in a number of cities in South America in cooperation with various national and international bodies, with the aim of bringing an end to unsustainable urban development and the resulting impact on rainwater.
Chapter one offers a general overview of urban development and identifies the two main causes of flooding: urban development (or urban drainage) and river flooding. Chapter two looks at the latter type of flooding, how to evaluate it, control measures for mitigating its impacts and managing it within cities. Chapter three presents the main aspects of management in urban drainage such as control strategies and principles, and sustainable control measures for various circumstances. Chapter four looks at the various aspects of comprehensive management in an urban environment, along with its interrelations and interfaces. Chapter five presents the elements of the Urban Rainwater Plan and its relationship with the other elements of urban infrastructure and the Watershed Plan. Chapter six presents case studies of conflicts and management.
Although this text is very broad and tackles a number of economic, social, environmental and climatic situations, it clearly does not address all the issues of the topic, but it does show how to include innovative solutions based on fundamental principles of sustainable development.