Methodology to Prioritize Climate Adaptation Measures in Urban Areas. Barcelona and Bristol Case Studies

Abstract

In the current context of fast innovation in the field of urban resilience against extreme weather events, it is becoming more challenging for decision-makers to recognize the most beneficial adaptation measures for their cities. Detailed assessment of multiple measures is resource-consuming and requires specific expertise, which is not always available. To tackle these issues, in the context of the H2020 project RESCCUE (RESilience to cope with Climate Change in Urban arEas), a methodology to effectively prioritize adaptation measures against extreme rainfall-related hazards in urban areas has been developed. It follows a multi-phase structure to progressively narrow down the list of potential measures. It begins using less resource-intensive techniques, to finally focus on the in-depth analysis on a narrower selection of measures. It involves evaluation of risks, costs, and welfare impacts, with strong focus on stakeholders’ participation through the entire process. The methodology is adaptable to different contexts and objectives and has been tested in two case studies across Europe, namely Barcelona and Bristol.

Assessment of Urban Flood Resilience in Barcelona for Current and Future Scenarios. The RESCCUE Project

“…For the case of Barcelona, the development and calibration of a 1D/2D USM and its integration in several loosely coupled (or integrated) models allowed us to perform a multi-risk analysis whose main important outputs are shown in Table 5. Moreover, the geographic detailed analysis of the potential flood impacts could help in the prioritization of the implementation of adaptation measures [46]. For example, the results provided by some impact models concerning intangible (safety for pedestrians and vehicles, stability of containers) and tangible (economic losses for properties and vehicles) damage indicate that the highest economic and social risks are concentrated in the districts located in the downtown of the city (near the sea).…”

Increased Urban Resilience to Climate Change—Key Outputs from the RESCCUE Project

“…The simulations of adaptation measures considered the implementation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), resulting in high hazard reductions. Further implementation of structural measures could practically eliminate high flood hazard conditions for people and assets for low return periods (up to 10 years) [20].…”

“…For the case of Bristol, hazard assessment indicated that climate change could significantly increase hazard produced by tidal, river and pluvial floods. Bristol adaptation strategies to face pluvial flooding problem considered the implementation of different local adaptation measures (SUDS, increase of pipe and pumping capacity) to solve the most important problems in flood prone areas identified by simulations of Baseline and BAU scenarios [14,20]. For tidal and river flooding, adaptation measures limiting people and assets exposure were selected so no hazard assessment was performed in this case.…”

“…The implementation of adaptation strategies is normally limited by factors such as capital and labor constraints and subject to political momentum; therefore, a prioritization assessment should be performed in order to select the most suitable set of measures for each city under a changing climate scenario [20]. There are multiple criteria to rank available options to facilitate decision-making processes.…”

Index-based Approach to Evaluate City Resilience in Flooding Scenarios

“…City resilience reflects the overall capacity of a city (individuals, communities, institutions, businesses and systems) to survive, adapt and thrive no matter what kinds of chronic stresses or acute shocks they experience [1]. This capacity may be acquired through adopting structural and non-structural solutions and/or introducing knowledge and intelligence in the management of city infrastructures [2].…”