Supporting cities to be more resilient in the face of urban flooding
The Urban Flooding Network supports city efforts to identify, plan and implement projects to increase resilience to urban flooding impact.
Urban flooding is the highest reported climate hazard facing C40 cities with 92% of C40 cities experiencing flash or surface flooding due to rainfall or riverine flooding. With cities growing fast the pressure on water bodies increases, and by consequence, the vulnerability to the impacts of floods. In order to support cities in addressing the risks of flooding, the Urban Flooding Network is working closely to map, plan and implement ambitious adaptation projects that will help cities to become more resilient. The network brings cities together to collaborate, through peer-to-peer exchange, on removing technical, financial and political barriers, promoting webinars, city-to-city emails and calls, workshops and study tours.
As a part of the Adaptation Implementation Initiative, the Urban Flooding Network works closely with cities in the Connecting Delta Cities Network, which is focused on flooding relevant to coastal conditions, and the Cool Cities Network, which supports cities to adapt to urban heat impacts. In 2021 exchange will occur with the new C40 Adaptation network, Water Security Network. Furthermore, UFN works closely with Energy and Buildings, Transportation and Land Use, and Waste Networks to ensure that all relevant sectors are active stakeholders in managing urban flooding. The network members identified four focus areas/work streams, based on city priorities and opportunities.
Focus areas:
- Governance and holistic water management
Promoting an integrated & holistic water management plan by engaging stakeholders and communities to manage urban flooding. - Measuring and monitoring urban flooding
Supporting cities to assess flooding by sharing the tools and technologies to map cities’ flood-prone areas. Assisting cities to assess and model the flooding impacts on resident and workforce populations as well as critical assets that may be vulnerable. - Flood response
Sharing measures cities can take to quickly react to a significant flood event, including the best practices in emergency response strategies. - Flood reduction
Supporting cities to adapt to floods through sustainable drainage, retention, storage, infiltration, recapture, and integration of water in urban ecosystems (blue-green infrastructure).
Cities participating in the network:
Amsterdam, Auckland, Austin, Boston, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Chennai, Copenhagen, Curitiba, Delhi NCT, Dhaka North, Durban (eThekwini), Freetown, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Lima, Lisbon, London, Miami, Milan, Montréal, Mumbai, New Orleans, New York City, Oslo, Philadelphia, Portland, Quezon City, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Salvador, São Paulo, Tel Aviv, Toronto and Vancouver.