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Abstract:The aim of this research is to develop the Pluvial Flood Risk Assessment tool (PFRA) for rainwater management and adaptation to climate change in newly urbanised areas. PFRA allows pluvial hazard assessment, as well as pluvial flood risk mapping. The original model was created using ArcGIS software with the ArcHydro extension, and the script was written using the Python programming language. The PFRA model effectively combines information about land cover, soils, microtopography (LiDAR data), and projected hydro-meteorological conditions, which enables the identification of the spatial and temporal distribution of pluvial flood risks in newly developed areas. Further improvements to the PFRA concern the quantification of pluvial flood-related damages, the application of high resolution precipitation data, and the optimisation of coding.

The phenomena of urbanization and climate change interact with the growing number of older people living in cities. One of the effects of climate change is an increased riverine flooding hazard, and when floods occur this has a severe impact on human lives and comes with vast economic losses. Flood resilience management procedures should be supported by a combination of complex social and environmental vulnerability assessments. Therefore, new methodologies and tools should be developed for this purpose. One way to achieve such inclusive procedures is by incorporating a social vulnerability evaluation methodology for environmental and flood resilience assessment. These are illustrated for application in the Polish city of Wrocław. Socio‐environmental vulnerability mapping, based on spatial analyses using the poverty risk index, data on the ageing population, as well as the distribution of the areas vulnerable to floods, was conducted with use of a location intelligence system combining Geographic Information System (GIS) and Business Intelligence (BI) tools. The new methodology allows for the identification of areas populated by social groups that are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of flooding. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:592–597. © 2018 SETAC

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Land use and the landscape of the suburban area are strongly affected by the impact of a large city, which is an important factor determining their development. The paper presents the results of analyses of the functional and spatial transformations depending on the distance from city limits and main access roads. The analyses were based on CORINE data for the years: 1990, 2000 and 2006. The spatial transformations in the specified distance buffers were described with use of the indicator of the share of specific land use areas in the total surface area and the indicator of the average landscape patch surface area. The conducted analyses confirm that the spatial patterns characteristic for suburbanisation exist in the vicinity of large cities and along access roads. The phenomena noticed in the suburban zone of Wrocław include, among others, an increased share of surface area used for residential purposes, a decreased area of arable lands, and an increased concentration of commercial and industrial areas in the direct proximity of the city and access roads.