FLOODS IN CITIES: NEW INSIGHTS FOR INTEGRATING PLUVIAL FLOODING INTO FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS

In the last years, Italian cities are increasingly facing challenges associated with urban sustainability and urban water issues. Specifically, the risk associated with extreme rain events in urban areas has dramatically increased. For this reason, integration of pluvial flood risk management into Flood Risk Management Plans by regional and local water authorities becomes fundamental. The project INSPIRING, financed by the Ministry of University and Research - MUR (Italy) for the 2020 PRIN (Research Projects of National Interest) program, aimed to improve management capacities of public authorities to mitigate heavy rain risks by integrating pluvial flood risk management into management plans according to the EU Floods Directive. Project outcomes aim to help decision makers in planning and design of storm water control actions to mitigate the impacts of heavy rainfalls causing floods in urban areas, allowing "citizens and cities” to be better prepared to challenge due to global changes. For this reason, the focus of the project was the identification of joint and shared public strategies and actions to manage the risks consequent to this type of extreme event. To build an effective cooperation between science and society regarding the assessment and management of the risk of pluvial flooding in urban areas, the most recent and advanced knowledge in the field of urban hydraulics and hydrology, of the planning and design of the sustainable and multi-functional solutions (complementary to traditional solutions) is needed, according to the more comprehensive definition of the Flood Risk Management Plans contained into the Flood Directive.