Assessment of urban underground spaces inundation during extreme rainfall events

Abstract

As urbanization progresses and the impacts of climate change become more pronounced, urban flooding has emerged as a critical challenge for resilient cities, particularly concerning urban underground spaces where flooding can lead to significant loss of life and property. Drawing upon a comprehensive review of global research on underground space flood simulation and evacuation, this paper undertakes the modelling of inundation in a substantial underground area during the extraordinary rainfall event on 7 September 2023, in Shenzhen, China. Specifically, it introduces a two-step method to simulate the coupled surface-underground inundation process with high accuracy. The study simulates the inflow processes into three types of underground spaces: parking lots, metro stations, and underpasses. Utilizing the specific force per unit width evaluation, the research examines how varying flood barrier heights influence evacuation time and inundation risk. Subsequently, the paper proposes corresponding evacuation strategies based on the obtained findings. By highlighting the vulnerability of urban underground spaces to flooding, the study underscores the urgent need for further research in this domain.