Flood Vulnerability Mapping and Resilience in Urban Setting: A Review of Conceptual Frameworks and Assessment Methods

Climate change, population increase, and poor infrastructure make cities globally more vulnerable to flooding. Understanding flood vulnerability and using suitable assessment methodologies are essential to reduce risks and improve resilience. The purpose of this review chapter is to provide a comprehensive overview of the conceptual frameworks and evaluation methods utilized in flood vulnerability mapping and urban resilience in an urban context. Understanding urban vulnerability and establishing resilience measures are critical for long-term urban planning and disaster risk reduction. This study evaluated literature from 2002–2023 on urban flood vulnerability and resilience to assess research advances. It quantified and summarised the 113 relevant papers’ characteristics and methodology. It examined the conceptual frameworks and then discussed flood vulnerability and resilience assessment methodologies and tools. It shows how hazard-centric models have evolved into holistic models that include physical, environmental, and socio-economic factors. Relative research observed qualitative and quantitative assessment methods of flood vulnerability and resilience mapping approaches and the emergence of tools viz: geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and machine learning as quantitative techniques. Few studies integrate flood risk and resilience assessment into urban planning and development, while a more integrated and interdisciplinary approach incorporating multiple vulnerability and resilience aspects is still absent. A framework covering the physical, social, environmental, and economic dimensions of flood risk and a context-specific approach that takes into account each urban setting’s unique characteristics should be used for flood vulnerability mapping and resilience research in urban settings which will improve urban sustainability under rapidly changing scenarios.