Urban Flood Resilience Assessment of Zhengzhou Considering Social Equity and Human Awareness

Abstract

Flooding is one of the world’s most devastating natural disasters, and the effects of global climate change further intensify its impact. In the context of flood management, urban resilience emerges as a promising perspective. While existing urban resilience assessment systems predominantly encompass economic, social, ecological, and infrastructural factors, they often neglect crucial dimensions like social equity and human awareness. We aimed to assess urban flood resilience considering social equity and human awareness. We have developed an indicator system called the 3-Dimentional Disaster Urban Flood Resilience Index System (3D-UFRIS) to address the issue. We also introduced social media data to explore the use of big data in urban flood resilience assessment. Scrapy was used to collect data and AHP-EWM was used to calculate the results. Our findings reveal a layered distribution of urban flood resilience of Zhengzhou, categorized into five levels: highest, higher, medium, lower, and lowest resilience. Notably, the highest resilience areas, covering a mere 3.06% of the total area, were primarily situated in the Jinshui district, characterized by strong economic activity, high public awareness, and a history of waterlogging incidents. Conversely, the lowest resilience areas, encompassing the largest portion at 36%, were identified in Zhongmou County, Xinzheng, and Shangjie District, marked by lower public awareness and limited medical accessibility. This study presents a pioneering approach to comprehending urban disaster resilience, offering valuable insights into mitigating flood-related risks and enhancing urban planning strategies.