Laboratory modelling of urban flooding

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Hydrology
• Urban Planning

Background:

• Urban flooding poses significant risks to infrastructure and populations.
• Understanding the impact of urban morphology on flood dynamics is crucial for effective mitigation.
• Existing models require validation with high-quality experimental data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present two comprehensive datasets from laboratory urban flooding experiments.
• To provide data for validating and improving numerical and analytical urban flood models.
• To enhance the understanding of how urban forms influence flood processes.

Main Methods:

• Laboratory experiments simulating urban street network flooding.
• Measurement of flow depths and discharges under varied boundary conditions.
• Application of Large-Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) for 2D surface velocity quantification.

Main Results:

• Acquisition of time-series flow depth and discharge data for different urban configurations.
• Collection of 2D surface velocity data for eight distinct urban forms.
• Generation of datasets covering junction, bifurcation, and district-scale models.

Conclusions:

• The presented datasets are essential for advancing urban flood modeling.
• Improved understanding of urban form effects on flooding can inform flood risk management.
• The data supports the development of flood-resilient urban design strategies.