Abstract:
Disaster management for urban areas is a growing priority owing to factors such as the relentless migration to cities,
unplanned development, changing climate, and increasing operational and maintenance costs. New information and
communication technologies offer improved opportunities to address these factors. This paper presents and
describes the digital city concept as a means of capturing, analysis and applying (digital) information about the city
area, its services, and their design and operation. In particular, the functionality of the digital city can be adapted for
managing urban flood disasters. The paper highlights the need to manage the urban storm water cycle integrated with
urban planning. Urban flooding should be mitigated by having a judicious mix of both structural and nonstructural
strategies, which are selected with the full participation of all stakeholders. The management of urban flooding is
illustrated with application to the tropical island of St Marten