Gothenburg is located at a very challenging location regarding flood risks. The city faces challenges regarding rising sea levels, the river Göta älv which passes through the central city and several minor streams within the city. The increased risk of heavy rainfall due to climate change further increases the risk of pluvial flooding. In this video, environmental consultant Henrik Bodin Sköld elaborates on the history and future plans for flood management in Gothenburg.
Since the early 2000s, the city has conducted several feasibility studies regarding flood risk analysis and measure strategies. Gothenburg has decided a long-term strategy for flood risk management in the comprehensive planning. The medium-term solution involves riverside protection along the river, and the long-term measure concerns large-scale barriers. The city is also working with long-term cloudburst planning using catchment based cloudburst plans, in a similar manner as the ones that have been planned for Copenhagen. It is a complex situation which requires coordination and cooperation between several stakeholder, both within the administration of the City of Gothenburg and other property owners and companies. To monitor and regulate the system is a great challenge. A monitoring/regulation system exists today for one of the main streams that flows through the city, Mölndalsån. The scope for the Gothenburg case is to investigate how a future, city-wide monitoring/control system could be developed, which should include the long-term measures that are needed on a city-wide level.
This video was made during the STORM_SAFE annual meeting in the city of Gothenburg on November 13th & 14th, 2024. Copyright on video and images: Anja Daleman.