Exploring an Integrated System for Urban Stormwater Management: A Systematic Literature Review of Solutions at Building and District Scales

Abstract

Climate change has aggravated the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, particularly in flood-related hazards. Cities nowadays face significant challenges in stormwater management from frequent heavy rainfalls. Traditional urban drainage systems can no longer cope with large amounts of surface runoff; cities are searching for new ways to deal with urban stormwater. Green roofs and other nature-based solutions have been widely used for stormwater management by combining water purification and retention functions but have not yet fully solved the flood problems. This article aims to (1) explore the different aspects of urban water management, particularly the urban stormwater topic, and (2) identify the existing solutions and discuss the potential and barriers to integrated solutions implementation. By introducing the concept of four domains and finding the overlapping area to investigate, we analyzed different solutions to reduce rainwater runoff from the roof and ground level, aiming at building and district scales. This paper proves that further research direction could constitute an integrated system to work together for urban stormwater management.