Urban Ecopuncture: Adaptation Of Wetland Parks Criteria For A Hybrid Flood Mitigation In Cabanatuan City

Abstract

The pressing challenges posed by climate change in Cabanatuan City, including extreme flooding events, necessitate a multifaceted approach to mitigation. While traditional flood control infrastructures were implemented, they may carelessly lead to unintended consequences, emphasizing the need for a balanced and sustainable strategy. Drawn inspiration from the solutions of sponge city as the umbrella concept using Ecopuncture and Japan's evolving flood control methods, the integration of green spaces, particularly the integration of wetlands emerged as a promising solution. From these inspirations, the researcher carefully formulated considerations for extreme flood events and adopted relevant criteria in determining the most suitable locations for flood retention and green spaces in the City of Cabanatuan, this paper exhausted solutions and approaches from works of literature addressing issues aligned with climate crisis specifically flood mitigation. With practices and criteria applicable to the locale of the study adopted, the researcher was able to analyze available maps and the most significant flooding over time in the city which delineated the flow of the flood, susceptible areas to flooding considering elevation were determined, and finally the researcher was able to recommend locations for wetland parks that are suitable to demonstrate the intent of flood mitigation thru the integration of green spaces, reconnection between people and the river, and introduction of added parks with a hybrid approach.