Water Science & Technology Vol 63 No 3 pp 527–535 © IWA Publishing 2011 doi:10.2166/wst.2011.253

Past, present, and future design of urban drainage systems with focus on Danish experiences

K. Arnbjerg-Nielsen

Climate change will influence the water cycle substantially, and extreme precipitation will become more frequent in many regions in the years to come. How should this fact be incorporated into design of urban drainage systems, if at all? And how important is climate change compared to other changes over time? Based on an analysis of the underlying key drivers of changes that are expected to affect urban drainage systems the current problems and their predicted development over time are presented. One key issue is management of risk and uncertainties and therefore a framework for design and analysis of urban structures in light of present and future uncertainties is presented.

Keywords: climatic changes; design; risk management; urban drainage

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