Assessment of urban flooding vulnerability based on AHP-PSR model: a case study in Jining City, China

Abstract

Expanding urbanization has led to an increased risk of urban flooding, which poses a hazard to humans. Scientific assessment of urban flooding vulnerability (UFV) is essential to protect human health and reduce losses. In this study, UFV was assessed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process-Press-State-Response (AHP-PSR) model in Jining City, China. The urban flooding index (UFI) was calculated from 13 indicators. Based on the magnitude of UFI, the vulnerability was classified into five classes. Among them, the areas of very high, high, medium, low and very low vulnerability are 897.21 km2 (8.02%), 3192.14 km2 (28.53%), 2063.22 km2 (18.44%), 39773.96 km2 (35.52%) and 1060.47 km2 (9.48%), respectively. Finally, suggestions were proposed for further urban flooding management based on the results. The results of the study can provide an important reference for the government to prevent and mitigate urban flooding. Meanwhile, the modeling framework can be easily transferred to other cities, providing new ideas for UFV assessment.