A GLANCE AT URBAN FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT AND NATURE-BASED MITIGATION STRATEGIES IN RAPIDLY EXPANDING CITIES IN DEVELOPING REGIONS: RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

Urban flooding poses a growing threat to rapidly expanding cities, exacerbated by unregulated urban development, climate change, and inadequate drainage systems. Conventional grey infrastructure solutions, though widely implemented, often fall short in delivering adaptable, inclusive, and sustainable flood management. In response, this work proposes the development of an integrated, context-sensitive framework for assessing urban flood risk and evaluating the effectiveness of nature-based solutions (NbS) as a climate-resilient alternative. The work suggests a mixed-methods approach combining geospatial analysis, hydrological modeling (using GIS, SWMM, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, and Remote Sensing), and multi-criteria decision analysis to identify flood-prone zones and prioritize suitable NbS interventions—including bioretention, bioswales, rain gardens, permeable pavements, and urban retention basins. Stakeholder consultations and participatory mapping are also considered to complement the technical assessment, ensuring that local knowledge and social equity are embedded in the decision-making process. This work offers a contribution by bridging physical flood risk modeling with socio-environmental dimensions, resulting in a comprehensive decision-support tool for urban flood mitigation and, thus, build resilient cities. It promotes a hybrid infrastructure paradigm that integrates green and grey strategies to support adaptive and multifunctional flood resilience planning. Expected outcomes include spatially explicit flood risk maps, context-optimized NbS deployment strategies, and a replicable analytical framework applicable to all urban regions facing similar challenges. The findings will directly support the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).