Urban Flood Resilience: Risk and Business Continuity Management Systems Strategic Approach

Climate change and expanding urbanization present significant challenges for urban planning in attaining sustainable urbanization and development. Rapid and continual urbanization exacerbates flooding by increasing the number of impervious surfaces and altering flow paths. Flooding episodes and the risk they provide in metropolitan areas are a severe problem with global consequences. Urban areas require a resilience-based risk management approach to build capacity, adapt, and minimize flood risks, which have negative consequences for infrastructure, health, and the environment, including roads, buildings, and homes, as well as disrupt transportation routes and commercial supplies. I propose an alternative planning and managerial strategy for urban flood hazard management based on urban risk management frameworks, which combines risk management and continuity management systems to address urban system vulnerabilities through environmental changes. Using best practices throughout project design and implementation can improve operational efficiency; including the community, and link risk assessment processes with disaster recovery efforts.