Urban Flood Mitigation Strategies with Coupled Gray–Green Measures: A Case Study in Guangzhou City, China

Abstract

The integration of gray and green infrastructure has proven to be a feasible approach for managing stormwater in established urban areas. However, evaluating the specific contributions of such coupled strategies is challenging. This study introduced a novel integrated hydrological-hydrodynamic model that takes into account the layout of low-impact development (LID) facilities along with pipeline alignment and rehabilitation. Reliable results from modeling were used to assess the individual contribution of LID and improved drainage facilities to urban flooding mitigation. We selected a natural island in Guangzhou City, China, as the study site. The results indicate that combining three LID measures, namely green roofs, sunken green spaces, and permeable pavements, can reduce total runoff by 41.7% to 25.89% for rainfall recurrence periods ranging from 1 year to 100 years, and decrease the volume of nodal overflow by nearly half during rainfall events of less than 10-year return period. By integrating LID measures with the upgraded gray infrastructure, the regional pipeline overloading condition is substantially alleviated, resulting in a significant improvement in pipeline system resilience. For urban flooding control, it is recommended to integrate sufficient green space and avoid pipe-laying structural issues during urban planning and construction. The findings may assist stakeholders in developing strategies to best utilize gray and green infrastructure in mitigating the negative effects of urban flooding.