Urban Hydrology in a Changing World

Abstract

An increasing number of people are choosing to reside in cities rather than in rural areas. The resulting increase in population and changes to urban land-cover will increase the demand for water resources in these areas. Climate change is also expected to increase the risk of drought in many countries, which will further exacerbate this demand. Before the combined impacts of urbanisation and climate change become evident, the need for accurate information on which to base water management decisions will become critical. This article reviews some of the challenges that hydrologists face in managing and modelling urban hydrological systems under changing environmental conditions.