Establishment of a resilient flood control and drainage system in high-density cities:practice from Hong Kong
MOK W.C
YANG Fang
LEE J.H.W
Abstract：Focusing on the spatial characteristics of Hong Kong as a high-density coastal city,we systematically analyzed how flood risk has evolved under global climate change and identified the resulting governance challenges.Extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent,elevating the intensity of the disaster occurrence.The city's steep hillside topography makes compound flooding easily appear.All these contribute to the systematic feature of the flood disasters in Hong Kong.Through iterative governance concepts and technological innovation practice,Hong Kong has established a resilient flood control and drainage system that integrates adaptation,response,and management.Spatial adaptability was achieved through systematic and forward-looking planning that explicitly accounts for natural conditions,human activities,and dynamic trends.Dynamic response was enhanced by sponge facilities and emergency protection measures that simultaneously deliver multiple water-related co-benefits.By leveraging multi-source perception,AI model-driven intelligent monitoring and early warning,as well as full-process collaborative management,the risk governance chain was improved.The practice shows that the system significantly improves urban resilience during extreme rainfall events,reduces disaster losses,and lowers the probability of system failure.The"Hong Kong experience"has contributed to the flood control efforts in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and other high-density coastal cities worldwide.
Keywords：high-density coastal cityurban flood controlresilient cityclimate changeresilient flood control and drainage systemHong Kong
Publication Date：2025-12-12
Online Publishing Date：2025-12-30(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 28-35 )