Adapting suburban land-use patterns for flood mitigation

What is it about?

This paper attempts to illustrate that different street patterns have on groundwater flow systems. Curvilinear street patterns that define modern suburbs are built with little thought given to these natural systems. In the post-glacial landscape of southern Alberta, these neighbourhoods tend to have high flood risk as they have destroyed these natural water absorbing systems. By designing street networks and neighbourhoods differently, we show how these neighbourhoods could be designed to be more resilient.

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Why is it important?

For years we have designed our built environment as if it stood separate from the natural world. Recent events have illustrated that this approach is no longer sufficient. By ignoring natural systems, the built environment is left vulnerable, and natural systems are stressed to their breaking points. This concept is a component of the larger discussion around climate change and resiliency.