Klimatanpassning mot urbana översvämningar genom transprofessionell samverkan / Adapting to flood risk in a changing climate through transprofessional cooperation

Due to climate change, more extreme precipitation is expected to strike cities around the world. Urbanization along with densification of urban areas magnifies the impact of heavy rainfall. More robust and flexible storm water systems that mimic processes of the hydrological cycle are needed to make urban environments more flood resilient. Such systems must be multifunctional and well-integrate. In order to create these types of systems, new approaches must be found through collaboration between the different professions working within the urban arena at the early stages of the planning process. The aim of this study is to convey the size of the solutions that may be required in order to prevent urban flooding, and to explore how they can affect the urban environment. To illustrate this, a case study is performed in an urban area that is particularly exposed to urban flooding. The purpose of the case study, is to investigate what kind of climate adaption measures can be taken in an existing urban area. The purpose is also to propose possible solutions that could be implemented based on the prerequisites of the area itself, and to evaluate these solutions based on how much runoff they can store, and what experiential and functional qualities they could bring to the urban environment. To present the solutions’ mitigating efficiency against urban flooding, a visualization tool based on a conceptual model is developed. The case study shows that it can be difficult to find space for larger chains of aboveground solutions for runoff detention in an existing urban area. It is also found that areas adapted to temporarily store surface runoff can detain considerable volumes of runoff while offering multifunctionality and improving the quality of the urban environment.