Applying the Urban Resilience Theory to Flooding on Flood-prone settlements along the Pampanga River

Authors

  • Theresa C Rivera College of Architecture, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Metro Manila.
  • Nappy L Navarra College of Architecture, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Metro Manila.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11113/ijbes.v2.n3.87

Abstract

By accepting periodic flood as an unavoidable circumstance, urban communities in eastern Pampanga can adapt to flood flows from the Pampanga River better during high-intensity storms by creating a more ecologically-resilient multi-equilibria system of adaptation. A typical solution is to apply engineering solutions to flooding, resulting in a forced state of equilibrium that is ill-adapted to the changing forces of nature. By understanding the dichotomous theory of urban resilience to floods, strategies can be formed to assess and plan a more adaptive flood hazard management framework. To operationalize the theory, an estimation of storm-water and riparian alluvial flow is developed to understand the volumetric capacity of floodwaters natural floodplains need to accommodate flooding. The rational method of computing runoff is applied to the major watershed forming the flood-prone Pampanga River, determining the percentage of floodable area and moving ecological equilibria. This creates a better understanding of the distribution of flood by providing a baseline for the future planning of mitigation and adaptation urban strategies to flooding such as providing vegetated buffer zones, no build zones, and ground to building floor height.

References

Bankoff, G. (2003). Constructing vulnerability: The historical, natural and social generation of flooding in Metropolitan Manila. Disaster, 27, 224-238.

Bosher, L. (2008). Introduction: the need for built-in resilience. Pages 3-19 in L. S. Bosher, editor. Hazards and the built environment: attaining built-in resilience. Taylor and Francis, London, UK.

Bruneau, M., Chang, S. E., Eguchi, R. T., Lee, G. C., O’Rourke, T. D., Reinhorn, A. M., . . . Winterfeldt, D. V. (2003). A Framework to Quantitatively Assess and Enhance the Seismic Resilience of Communities. Earthquake Spectra, 19(4), 733-752. doi:10.1193/1.1623497

Department of Interior and Local Government. (2012). Pampanga River Basin collaboration workshop. Retrieved from http://www.lga.gov.ph/sites/default/files/knowledgeExchange-pdf/pampanga/PRB-M1-Pampanga%20River%20Basin%20Situationer.pdf

DOST-DREAM Program. (n.d.). Pampanga River Basin [Map]. Retrieved from http://www.dream.upd.edu.ph/assets/Uploads/forWebsite.jpg

Duncan, A., Hogarth, P., Paringit, E., & Lagmay, A.M.F. (2013, 5-7 September) Sharing UK LIDAR and flood mapping experience with the Philippines 73-75. International Conference on Flood Resilience: Experiences in Asia and Europe. Exeter, United Kingdom

Folke, C. (2003). Freshwater for resilience: a shift in thinking. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London: Series B Biological Sciences 358(1440):2027-2036. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2003.1385

Folke, C. (2006). Resilience: the emergence of a perspective for social–ecological systems analyses. Global Environmental Change 16:253-267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2006.04.002

Godschalk, D. R. (2003). Urban hazard mitigation: creating resilient cities. Natural Hazards Review 4(3):136-143. http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1527-6988(2003)4:3(136)

Holling, C. S. (1996). Engineering resilience versus ecological resilience. In P. C. Schulze (Ed.), Engineering within ecological constraints (pp. 31-43). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Hong, S., Kim, S., Cho, K., Kim, J., Kang, S., & Lee, D. (2004). Ecotope mapping for landscape ecological assessment of habitat and ecosystem. Ecological Research, 19, 131-139. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1703.2003.00603.x

Lagmay, A. M. (2012). Disseminating near real-time hazards information and flood maps in the Philippines through Web-GIS (Vol. 1-201). DOST-Project NOAH Open-File reports.

Liao, K. (2012). A theory on urban resilience to floods—a basis for alternative planning practices. Ecology and Society, 17(4), 48. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-05231-170448

Locsin, J. (2014, June 11). Pampanga most flood-prone; Benguet most landslide-vulnerable. GMA News Online. Retrieved from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/365179/news/regions/pampanga-most-flood-prone-benguet-most-landslide-vulnerable

Manila Observatory. (2009). i. Introduction. Retrieved from http://essc.org.ph/content/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/i.%20introduction.pdf

National Statistics Office. (2013). Pampanga’s Population Reached 2.0 Million (Results from the 2010 Census of Population and Housing) (2013-113). Retrieved from http://web0.psa.gov.ph/content/pampanga%E2%80%99s-population-reached-20-million-results-2010-census-population-and-housing

Siringan, F. P., & Rodolfo, K. S. (2003). Relative sea level changes and worsening floods in the western Pampanga delta: Causes and some possible mitigation measures. Science Diliman, 15(2), 1-12.

Sun Star Pampanga. (2012, February 6). Arayat, Pampanga dike collapses; desilting needed | Sun.Star. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2012/02/06/arayat-dike-collapses-desilting-needed-204605

Smit, B., and J. Wandel. (2006). Adaptation, adaptive capacity and vulnerability. Global Environmental Change 16:282-292. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2006.03.008

Downloads

Published

2015-09-21

How to Cite

Rivera, T. C., & Navarra, N. L. (2015). Applying the Urban Resilience Theory to Flooding on Flood-prone settlements along the Pampanga River. International Journal of Built Environment and Sustainability, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.11113/ijbes.v2.n3.87