Identifying Urban Flood Regulation Priority Areas in Beijing Based on an Ecosystem Services Approach

Abstract

Climate change and rapid urbanization have severe impacts on urban flood regulation ecosystem services (UFRES). Quantifying the UFRES has attracted increasing attention for urban sustainable development. However, few studies have focused on how to identify urban flood regulation priority areas. In this study, we simulated urban surface runoff by using the soil conservation services-curve number model, and quantified UFRES supply and demand by using relative indicators (i.e., runoff reduction ratio and urban vulnerability) at the subdistrict scale in Beijing, China. Then, an urban flood regulation priority index was developed by integrating UFRES demand and supply, and further used to identify priority areas. The results show that the mean runoff reduction ratio in Beijing decreased from 38.70% (for a 1-year rainfall return period) to 24.74% (for a 100-year rainfall return period). Subdistricts with low UFRES supply were mainly located in the urban central area and the southeastern zone, while subdistricts with high UFRES demand were mainly located in the urban central region. Meanwhile, places with high priority for flood regulation were mainly located in the inner city, and low priority areas were mainly located in northwestern, southwestern, and northeastern Beijing. Our results also imply that the urban flood regulation priority index is an effective indicator to identify urban flood regulation priority areas. These findings could provide urban planners with a comprehensive understanding of UFRES and scientific guidance to improve them.Sustainability 2020, 12, 2297 2 of 18 impacts of storm water on human safety, infrastructure, and living environment quality in urban ecosystems, such as canopy interception by vegetation, soil water storage, and water storage capacity of wetlands and rivers [16][17][18][19][20]. Studies have reported that urban green spaces (e.g., urban parks and gardens, roads, residential green spaces) can provide flood regulation ecosystem services. For example, it was estimated that urban green space could store 88% of rainfall in Yixing, China, and vegetation types influenced the runoff regulation capacity of the city [20]. Due to the loss of urban green spaces during the urbanization process in Beijing, urban surface runoff regulation capacity decreased by 6% from 2000 to 2010 [21]. All these evidences indicate urban green spaces play an important role in enhancing the flood regulation services and improving urban resilience. UFRES is not only related to the integration of urban green-blue infrastructure, but is also affected by urban population density and the pattern of functional zones in the city [22,23].The ecosystem services-based approach is currently an important way to optimize and manage land to achieve sustainable development goals, especially in urban areas [24][25][26]. Spatial decision support tools integrating urban ecosystem services were developed to assist urban spatial planning practices [27]. The tradeoffs and synergies among different ecosystem services due to various...

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