Assessing Drainage Infrastructure in Coastal Lowlands: Challenges, Design Choices, and Environmental and Urban Impacts
Urban flooding is a growing concern, particularly in coastal lowland cities where climate change exacerbates hazards through rising sea levels and intense rainfall. Traditional flood defenses like fluvial polders often exacerbate urban fragmentation and maintenance costs if poorly integrated into pl...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| author | Beatriz Cruz Amback Paula Morais Canedo de Magalhães Luiz Eduardo Siqueira Saraiva Matheus Martins de Sousa Marcelo Gomes Miguez |
| author_facet | Beatriz Cruz Amback Paula Morais Canedo de Magalhães Luiz Eduardo Siqueira Saraiva Matheus Martins de Sousa Marcelo Gomes Miguez |
| author_sort | Beatriz Cruz Amback |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Urban flooding is a growing concern, particularly in coastal lowland cities where climate change exacerbates hazards through rising sea levels and intense rainfall. Traditional flood defenses like fluvial polders often exacerbate urban fragmentation and maintenance costs if poorly integrated into planning. This study proposes a multifunctional assessment design framework to evaluate polder design effectiveness considering both the hydraulic and social–environmental dimensions, emphasizing blue–green infrastructure (BGI) for flood control, leisure, and landscape integration. Three design scenarios for Rio de Janeiro’s Jardim Maravilha neighborhood were modeled hydrodynamically: S1 (dike near urban areas, pump-dependent) and S2/S3 (dikes along the riverbank, gravity-driven). Results show S2/S3 outperformed S1 in storage capacity (2.7× larger volume), freeboard resilience (0.42–0.43 m vs. 0.25 m), and urban integration (floodable parks accessible to communities), though S1 had faster reservoir emptying. Under climate change, all scenarios sustained functionality, but S1’s freeboard reduced by 86%, nearing its limit. The framework’s standardized scoring system balanced quantitative and qualitative criteria, revealing trade-offs between hydraulic efficiency and urban adaptability. The optimized S3 design, incorporating external storage and dredging, achieved the best compromise. This approach aids decision-making by systematically evaluating resilience, operational feasibility, and long-term climate adaptation, supporting sustainable flood infrastructure in coastal cities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9959fdb34cce4900b3e87bd0d6f79638 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2412-3811 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| series | Infrastructures |
| spelling | doaj-art-9959fdb34cce4900b3e87bd0d6f796382025-08-20T01:56:28ZengMDPI AGInfrastructures2412-38112025-04-0110510310.3390/infrastructures10050103Assessing Drainage Infrastructure in Coastal Lowlands: Challenges, Design Choices, and Environmental and Urban ImpactsBeatriz Cruz Amback0Paula Morais Canedo de Magalhães1Luiz Eduardo Siqueira Saraiva2Matheus Martins de Sousa3Marcelo Gomes Miguez4Programa de Engenharia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, RJ, BrazilPrograma de Engenharia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, RJ, BrazilEscola Politécnica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, RJ, BrazilPrograma de Engenharia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, RJ, BrazilPrograma de Engenharia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, RJ, BrazilUrban flooding is a growing concern, particularly in coastal lowland cities where climate change exacerbates hazards through rising sea levels and intense rainfall. Traditional flood defenses like fluvial polders often exacerbate urban fragmentation and maintenance costs if poorly integrated into planning. This study proposes a multifunctional assessment design framework to evaluate polder design effectiveness considering both the hydraulic and social–environmental dimensions, emphasizing blue–green infrastructure (BGI) for flood control, leisure, and landscape integration. Three design scenarios for Rio de Janeiro’s Jardim Maravilha neighborhood were modeled hydrodynamically: S1 (dike near urban areas, pump-dependent) and S2/S3 (dikes along the riverbank, gravity-driven). Results show S2/S3 outperformed S1 in storage capacity (2.7× larger volume), freeboard resilience (0.42–0.43 m vs. 0.25 m), and urban integration (floodable parks accessible to communities), though S1 had faster reservoir emptying. Under climate change, all scenarios sustained functionality, but S1’s freeboard reduced by 86%, nearing its limit. The framework’s standardized scoring system balanced quantitative and qualitative criteria, revealing trade-offs between hydraulic efficiency and urban adaptability. The optimized S3 design, incorporating external storage and dredging, achieved the best compromise. This approach aids decision-making by systematically evaluating resilience, operational feasibility, and long-term climate adaptation, supporting sustainable flood infrastructure in coastal cities.https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/10/5/103urban resilience to floodscoastal lowlandsdrainage infrastructurefluvial polder systemclimate changehydrodynamic modeling |
| spellingShingle | Beatriz Cruz Amback Paula Morais Canedo de Magalhães Luiz Eduardo Siqueira Saraiva Matheus Martins de Sousa Marcelo Gomes Miguez Assessing Drainage Infrastructure in Coastal Lowlands: Challenges, Design Choices, and Environmental and Urban Impacts Infrastructures urban resilience to floods coastal lowlands drainage infrastructure fluvial polder system climate change hydrodynamic modeling |
| title | Assessing Drainage Infrastructure in Coastal Lowlands: Challenges, Design Choices, and Environmental and Urban Impacts |
| title_full | Assessing Drainage Infrastructure in Coastal Lowlands: Challenges, Design Choices, and Environmental and Urban Impacts |
| title_fullStr | Assessing Drainage Infrastructure in Coastal Lowlands: Challenges, Design Choices, and Environmental and Urban Impacts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing Drainage Infrastructure in Coastal Lowlands: Challenges, Design Choices, and Environmental and Urban Impacts |
| title_short | Assessing Drainage Infrastructure in Coastal Lowlands: Challenges, Design Choices, and Environmental and Urban Impacts |
| title_sort | assessing drainage infrastructure in coastal lowlands challenges design choices and environmental and urban impacts |
| topic | urban resilience to floods coastal lowlands drainage infrastructure fluvial polder system climate change hydrodynamic modeling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/10/5/103 |
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