Addressing Urban Stormwater Management Under Climate Change: a Case Study of Cambridge

Abstract

Stormwater management relies on methods of prediction and modeling to inform decisions on risk-based infrastructure. As climate change threatens disrupt and exacerbate weather conditions, the methodologies of single-event design storms and continuous simulation are put into question. By examining Cambridge, MA as a case study, two experimental techniques are compared: the single-event design storm model from a risk assessment by the City of Cambridge and the continuous simulation from Kerry Emanuel. With mapping from PCSWMM and statistical analysis, there is room for improvement for both methods.