Comparison of Flood Resilience Between Low-Carbon and Traditional Communities: A Case Study of Kunming, China

Under China’s dual carbon strategy, low-carbon city construction is expected to help reduce urban flood risks. However, the flood resilience of low-carbon communities remains unclear, limiting effective disaster prevention. This study examines traditional and newly built low-carbon communities in Kunming, establishing indices for community flood resilience and low-carbon development according to current national and local standards. Flood resilience (UFR) and low-carbon development level (ULC) were measured using the critic–entropy weight and TOPSIS methods, and a coupling coordination analysis model was used to analyze their correlation and coordination. The results are as follows: (1) The two communities exhibit marked spatial heterogeneity in both UFR and ULC. On average, the UFR in traditional communities is 21.53% higher than in low-carbon communities, while the ULCs are 4.33% higher in low-carbon communities compared to traditional ones. (2) UFR and ULC showed a high coupling level in both communities (over 98%), indicating a strong correlation. (3) The Moran’s I index of 0.664 for coupling coordination indicates notable spatial dependence. These results suggest that, initially, low-carbon communities in Kunming may not exhibit stronger flood resilience, but low-carbon development can significantly improve flood resilience over time. This paper also provides recommendations for enhancing flood resilience in urban low-carbon communities.