Adaptation to Extreme Rainfall Events: Intersection of Climate, Weather, Hazard Mitigation and Urban Planning

Extreme rainfall events (very high volumes of precipitation in a short period of time) are becoming more frequent globally. Beyond those more newsworthy events, however, precipitation in many places on average is growing in intensity, changing local hydrological patterns and cumulatively increasing wear and tear on stormwater and sewer systems.

In this presentation, we will detail both how changing precipitation patterns are impacting the built environment as well as measures available to mitigate these increasing impacts, from nature-based solutions to local zoning policy and the use of more resilient and/or permeable materials as well as the concept of “sponge cities”. The talk will bridge the disciplines of meteorology, hazard mitigation and urban planning. We will present examples, focusing on flooding in Chicago, IL due to its recent intensity and well-examined history of stormwater infrastructure, but will touch on other examples as well.

After the presentations, ask attendees to break out into small groups to suggest measures to mitigate the impacts of extreme rainfall events to a hypothetical community.

Presenter - Patrick Marchman, AICP, SCR, CASE Consultants International