Strategic typologies for urban drainage and stormwater management services: A tailored approach to address cities specificities

Around the world, cities face diverse challenges in planning, implementing, and updating urban drainage and stormwater management (UDSM) services, challenges that often reflect the specific characteristics of each urban context. Urban heterogeneity directly influences how UDSM services are provided. This study proposes a typology for cities centered on UDSM services, using Brazil as a case study. Applying the k-prototype clustering algorithm, four distinct city types were identified, along with a fifth group composed of cities with missing UDSM data. The application of typologies allowed for the identification of significant variation in how Brazilian cities approach UDSM service provision. The findings reveal governance challenges and opportunities for transitioning to more sustainable solutions across all groups, highlighting the importance of typological approaches in understanding urban service provision more effectively. As cities change from Type 1 to Type 4, both their structural complexity and their institutional capacities increase. Furthermore, the proposition contributes to establishing a common classification system for UDSM services in Brazil and beyond, providing a flexible framework that can evolve in tandem with public policy cycles.