A social-ecological-technological vulnerability approach for assessing urban hydrological risks.

Area of Science:

• Urban planning and climate adaptation
• Environmental science and hydrology
• Social vulnerability assessment

Background:

• Urban populations face increasing risks from extreme climate events, particularly stormwater hazards.
• Population growth and climate change exacerbate these vulnerabilities.
• Existing risk assessments often lack a holistic view of interconnected urban systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel understanding of water-related risks in urban areas using a Social-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS) framework.
• To assess urban vulnerabilities to climate change impacts, specifically stormwater-related hazards.
• To provide a tool for identifying high-risk communities and informing policy for resilient urban futures.

Main Methods:

• Development of a hydrology-informed urban risk index incorporating seventeen indicators.
• Application of a spatially explicit Social-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS) approach.
• Analysis of historical and modeled data on sewer overflow and flood events.

Main Results:

• Social vulnerability was found to be the most critical factor influencing overall urban risk (R=0.4).
• Ecological (R=0.2) and technological (R=0.1) domains offered key insights for risk reduction.
• The SETS approach successfully identified high-risk communities and vulnerable hotspots.

Conclusions:

• Social vulnerability significantly amplifies risks from extreme climate events in urban settings.
• Ecological and technological factors provide actionable strategies for risk mitigation, including infrastructure upgrades and green space utilization.
• The proposed SETS framework is generalizable and can serve as a foundational tool for urban policymaking to enhance resilience.