A Study on Flood Damage Reduction Design Proposals and Measures for the Inner Harbor Area of Macao

Abstract

This paper presents a proposal for flood control measures for larger Macao region. First, previous studies on sponge cities, a mainstream green infrastructure concept in China, especially for flood disaster prevention and mitigation, are reviewed. Next, the causes of flooding in Macao’s Inner Harbor area were examined, and the impact on the World Heritage Site of Macao’s Historic Centre was also analyzed. It was found that there are three main causes of flooding: topographical causes, meteorological phenomena such as astronomical tides and storm surges, and inadequate drainage facilities. Flood control measures can be divided into hard and soft measures. This paper focuses on hard measures such as urban planning and infrastructure improvements. For urban planning proposals, the reviewed sponge city concept was used to propose urban planning and design proposals for flood damage mitigation in and around the Zhuhai and Macau Inner Harbor areas in China.