Selection of Best Practices for Climate Change Adaptation with Focus on Rainwater Management

Abstract

The adaptation of cities, whether large, medium or small, in relation to extreme weather events, is a great challenge. The society development culminated in urbanization, often without planning and with great concentration of the population in the urban environment. Across the world, this process has increased tensions between urban and natural environments, with serious consequences for human well-being and for the efficiency of infrastructure systems. Hydrological events are one of the main concerns of cities in many parts of the world. Heavy rains, with large daily or monthly accumulations, usually results in floods at the urban environment. These situations, in addition to generating economic losses, endanger the life of the population. In this scenario, this paper aims to identify structuring and non-structural measures used by cities around the world, to sustainable development, through strategies that make them less vulnerable to climatic events, which can be incorporated into urban governance, in order to contribute to adapt to climate change and to build cities that are more resilient. The main practices identified were Low Impact Development, Water Sensitive Urban Design, environmental sanitation legislation and events focused on awareness of the importance of urban water management.