Vol. 2011 No. 1 (2011)

View Issue TOC

Cost-Efficient Engineering Strategies for Urban Flood Mitigation in Durban's Coastal Areas: A Longevity Assessment Methodology

Kamali Mwakisagara, National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR)
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18928766
Published: January 6, 2011

Abstract

Urban flooding in Durban's coastal areas poses significant challenges to infrastructure resilience and community welfare. Existing mitigation strategies often lack cost-effectiveness metrics and longevity assessments. The proposed methodology integrates lifecycle cost analysis with longevity metrics based on probabilistic flood frequency models. A Bayesian hierarchical model will be employed to estimate uncertainty in projected costs and lifespans of various engineering solutions. A preliminary analysis suggests that incorporating green infrastructure elements such as mangrove restoration can reduce long-term maintenance costs by up to 30% compared to traditional grey infrastructure approaches, with a confidence interval of ±5%. This indicates potential savings for future flood mitigation projects in Durban's coastal zones. The developed methodology provides a robust framework for evaluating and prioritising engineering options that balance cost-effectiveness against longevity. It offers tangible benefits in terms of reduced maintenance expenses over the project’s lifecycle. Adopting this methodology can guide urban planners towards more sustainable and economically viable flood mitigation strategies, particularly in coastal areas where climate change impacts are expected to intensify. Urban Flood Mitigation, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Longevity Metrics, Bayesian Hierarchical Models, Durban Coastal Areas The maintenance outcome was modelled as $Y_{it}=\beta_0+\beta_1X_{it}+u_i+\varepsilon_{it}$, with robustness checked using heteroskedasticity-consistent errors.

Full Text:

Read the Full Article

The HTML galley is loaded below for inline reading and better discovery.

How to Cite

Kamali Mwakisagara (2011). Cost-Efficient Engineering Strategies for Urban Flood Mitigation in Durban's Coastal Areas: A Longevity Assessment Methodology. African Urban Design Journal (Technical/Design focus), Vol. 2011 No. 1 (2011). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18928766

Keywords

Sub-SaharanGISLife Cycle AssessmentSustainability MetricsParametric ModellingEconomic EvaluationResilience Analysis

Research Snapshot

Desktop reading view
Language
EN
Formats
HTML + PDF
Publication Track
Vol. 2011 No. 1 (2011)
Current Journal
African Urban Design Journal (Technical/Design focus)

References