By Dax Janel Valencia
From leveraging AI (smart monitoring and predictive analysis) to incorporating the use of gray-green infrastructure and implementing better floodplain management, these are some of the primary ways smart cities can prevent urban flooding with the help of innovative sewer maintenance systems.
Mitigating flooding and preventing water damage are now even more crucial than ever, as extreme precipitation events become more intense and frequent.
A report from the Center for American Progress, for instance, states that by mid-November 2025, weather-forecasting offices nationwide have issued over 5,000 flash flood warnings since the start of the year. It’s the first time the country exceeded the 5,000-annual warning mark.
With more innovative urban flooding solutions and city infrastructure upgrades, cities throughout the country can minimize their risk of severe flooding and its consequences.
What Is Urban Flooding?
The term “urban flooding” refers to when a city’s landscapes can no longer absorb excess water after extended periods of extreme weather events. Examples of the latter include:
- Intense rainfall
- Storm surges
- River overtopping
What Causes Flooding in Urban Areas?
A combination of factors contributes to urban flooding: extreme weather, impervious surfaces, and existing drainage and sewer systems.
Impervious surfaces are hard, modified, or unnatural surfaces. They include:
- Asphalt
- Concrete
- Compacted soil
When rain falls on impervious surfaces, it follows the track of local stormwater drainage systems. Unfortunately, the water may stop flowing if a city’s drains and sewers are inadequate, malfunctioning, or clogged.
With the rainwater having nowhere else to go, it could inundate roads and enter residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, causing urban flooding.
Making things worse is the intensification and increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Data provided by Climate Central shows that of the 144 U.S. cities it analyzed, 88% or 126 have experienced increased hourly rainfall intensity since 1970. The average surge is 15%.
How Are Smart Cities Preventing Urban Flooding?
Smart cities are preventing urban flooding with more advanced technologies, including AI-powered systems. They also combine gray infrastructure (engineered systems) with green ones (nature-based) and use more powerful drain maintenance equipment, like Vactor sewer cleaning trucks.
AI-Powered Smart Monitoring and Predictive Analysis
Cities can use AI-powered smart monitoring technologies for immediate weather anomaly detection and more accurate flood prediction. They can also use these innovations to identify high-risk or maintenance priority areas in sewer systems.
One example of such technology is Google’s FloodHub. It can forecast potential urban flash floods up to 24 hours in advance, according to KHON2.com.
Knowing which areas in a city are most likely to get flooded can allow the public, government, and professionals to take mitigatory steps. Key must-dos include:
- Deploying barriers like sandbags
- Clearing and maintaining drains and gutters
- Sealing openings
- Evacuating to higher, safer areas
With the help of AI-powered technologies, cities can reduce the risk of damage to infrastructure and personal, commercial, industrial, government, and public properties. They can also optimize the allocation of resources (e.g., sewer maintenance workers can target specific areas with the highest risk).
Gray-Green Infrastructure
Gray infrastructure in flood prevention refers to traditional engineered systems. Its primary goal is to move water away from a location where it can pool up and cause flooding. Some examples of gray structures include:
- Pipes
- Storm drains
- Culverts
- Seawalls
Green infrastructure refers to nature-based flood mitigation systems. Their chief focus is to slow, store, and infiltrate water as close as possible to where it falls. Examples include:
- Rain gardens
- Bioswales
- Green roofs
- Permeable pavements
- Restored wetlands
Because both gray and green systems share a similar goal (flood prevention/mitigation) but work differently, smart cities are increasingly combining their use.
An example of gray-green infrastructure is the routing of runoff from green roofs or rain gardens to underground storage pipes. Another is by using restored wetlands to protect concrete seawalls.
Improved Floodplain/Flood Management Strategies
Aside from the above strategies, smart cities can also improve their flood prevention tactics by analyzing the drainage systems in their jurisdictions. Accurate assessments can help them determine undersized or outdated infrastructure, which they can do through the use of:
- Real-time monitors and remote sensors
- Geographic information systems (GISs)
- Spatial tools
- Hydrologic and hydrological models
After pinpointing a drainage system’s areas of inadequacies, city officials can then take immediate steps to address the problems. They can put more funding into increasing the system’s capacity, replacing aging infrastructure, and ensuring adequate maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Cities More Prone to Urban Flooding?
Yes, certain cities are more prone to urban flooding than others, including those that have low-lying topographies. Their low elevations turn them into natural basins, allowing precipitation to collect from the surrounding higher ground.
Cities in coastal locations, such as San Diego, CA, also face a higher risk of urban flooding. They’re highly vulnerable to “compound flooding.”
Places with extensive impervious surfaces and high populations are more likely to experience urban flooding, too. Concrete and asphalt roads, for instance, don’t absorb water. The more of these structures a city has, the more rainwater can accumulate and overload drains and sewers.
Additionally, the more people who live and work in the city, the higher its odds of already having overtaxed drainage and sewer systems.
What Does Compound Flooding Mean?
Compound flooding is flooding caused by heavy rain that coincides with storm surges, rising sea levels, and high tides. When areas get hit by heavy rains or storms, the inland floodwater converges with coastal floods, “compounding” the disaster.
What Are Examples of Urban Floods?
A flash flood is one of the most common forms of urban floods. It often occurs in low-lying areas.
Sewer backups in basements and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) are also typical types of urban floods. Basement sewer backups occur due to a clogging in the main sewer line. SSOs, on the other hand, happen as a result of capacity overloads or system failures.
Protecting Lives and Property From the Devastating Effects of Urban Flooding
Smart cities can protect properties and the lives of their residents (humans and animals) from the damaging, deadly effects of urban flooding by leveraging AI and investing in gray-green infrastructure. Improving flood mitigation tactics with technologies like monitors, sensors, and GISs can also help.
If you’re ready to satisfy more of your curiosity, we have more related reads to share with you. Explore the rest of our news platform for other informative guides and extensive current events coverage.
