Integrated Approach to Assess the Urban Green Infrastructure Priorities (Alexandria, Egypt)

Abstract

Extreme rainfall and pluvial flood hazard has recently occurred in Alexandria and caused large human and economic losses. In this regard, the urban green infrastructure (UGI) is considered as a sustainable alternative to urban water management with different applications to reduce water accumulation in the streets caused by the inadequate drainage network capacity. This paper aims at demonstrating an assessment approach to prioritizing urban areas where UGI should be applied. The proposed method integrates flood modeling and land use classification into an assessment index called the UGI Priority Index. This index can help determine the neediest areas for UGI implementation alternatives to reduce the amount of accumulated rain. The introduced priority map can help the decision makers to direct the development plans to the priority areas and reduce the pluvial flood risk level using environmentally-friendly options.