Adaptive Flood Resilient City Design Strategies: An Exploratory Analysis of the Impact of Flooding on Street Network of Dhaka City

Abstract

Flood incidents are becoming a common circumstance all over the world due to rapid urbanization and climate change. The dependence on flood control structures is becoming unsustainable and modern approaches are taking place with improved spatial planning, design strategies, adaptation techniques, and forecasting. All the major cities in developing countries like Bangladesh are facing flooding issue. The immediate impact on the urban environment is found in the street network due to flooding. Most of the previous studies are focused on the topography to understand the flooding or vulnerability of transport networks with traffic issues, but less attention is given to the street network performance during flooding and possible strategies for solving those issues. This research aims to understand the appropriateness of flooding resilience vs flooding prevention from a context-sensitive point of view of Dhaka city by identifying flooding impact on the road network. Spatial network analysis with sDNA and flooding data from World Bank helped to understand the relationship between street networks, and before-after situations during flooding. The circumstantial impact on the street network by flooding was visualized with GIS and sDNA analysis to define its performance and possible alternative solutions. This research will help to dictate future planning policy frameworks of Dhaka city derived from this exploratory study. Also, this research endeavors to help the government and corresponding authorities of flood-prone cities to enhance an inclusive strategic tool for the existing and future planning policy by developing shortterm and long-term strategic vision.