Conceptual Framework for Designing Climate-Resilient Infrastructure in Flood-Prone Urban Environments

• Author(s): Olamide Folahanmi Bayeroju ; Adepeju Nafisat Sanusi ; Zamathula Queen Sikhakhane Nwokediegwu
• Paper ID: 1710572
• Page: 509-525
• Published Date: 30-04-2019
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 2 Issue 10 April-2019

Abstract

Rapid urbanization, climate change, and increasing incidence of extreme weather events have significantly amplified flood risks in urban environments worldwide. Flood-prone cities face escalating economic, social, and environmental challenges, including property damage, infrastructure disruption, public health threats, and displacement of vulnerable populations. Conventional urban infrastructure, often designed for historical climatic conditions, frequently fails to withstand these emerging hazards, resulting in reactive management, high recovery costs, and long-term socio-economic losses. In this context, designing climate-resilient infrastructure has become essential for safeguarding urban communities, ensuring economic continuity, and promoting sustainable development. This presents a conceptual framework for designing climate-resilient infrastructure in flood-prone urban environments, integrating engineering, governance, and operational dimensions to enhance adaptive capacity and risk mitigation. The framework emphasizes multi-level governance and institutional support, robust and adaptive technical design, resource optimization, and economic mechanisms that enable cost-effective implementation and maintenance. It incorporates strategies for integrated water management, flood-resistant materials, structural redundancy, and adaptive urban planning, supported by digital tools such as GIS, remote sensing, and simulation models for real-time monitoring and predictive flood management. Furthermore, the framework highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement, including policymakers, urban planners, engineers, and local communities, to ensure that infrastructure interventions are contextually appropriate, socially inclusive, and resilient over time. Key dimensions such as monitoring, evaluation, and iterative learning provide mechanisms for continuous improvement and knowledge transfer. By synthesizing best practices, emerging technologies, and policy insights, this conceptual framework offers actionable guidance for practitioners and decision-makers in both developed and developing urban contexts. It underscores the potential for climate-resilient infrastructure to reduce flood vulnerability, enhance urban sustainability, and foster community resilience. The framework serves as a foundation for future research, pilot projects, and policy formulation, promoting integrated, multi-disciplinary approaches to mitigating urban flood risks in a changing climate.

Keywords

Climate-Resilient Infrastructure, Flood-Prone Urban Areas, Sustainable Urban Planning, Adaptive Design, Hydrological Modeling, Flood Risk Management, Disaster Resilience, Urban Water Management, Structural Redundancy

Citations

IRE Journals:
Olamide Folahanmi Bayeroju , Adepeju Nafisat Sanusi , Zamathula Queen Sikhakhane Nwokediegwu "Conceptual Framework for Designing Climate-Resilient Infrastructure in Flood-Prone Urban Environments" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 2 Issue 10 2019 Page 509-525

IEEE:
Olamide Folahanmi Bayeroju , Adepeju Nafisat Sanusi , Zamathula Queen Sikhakhane Nwokediegwu "Conceptual Framework for Designing Climate-Resilient Infrastructure in Flood-Prone Urban Environments" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 2(10)