LIFE UrbanStorm shows nature-based solutions are key to managing urban floods

LIFE UrbanStorm, a five-year project from Estonia finished in 2023, sought to develop sustainable, climate-resilient urban stormwater management systems across Baltic and Nordic countries. From the beginning, it recognised that nature-based solutions (NbS) were the key to managing flash floods in city environments. 

LIFE UrbanStorm involved two local authorities, Viimsi Municipality and Tallinn City Government. Between them, they established four demonstration sites for nature-based drainage systems and supported eight other towns to create their own climate change adaptation plans. 

“The common objective of all our activities was to increase the resilience of all Estonian municipalities, especially their resilience to flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall,” says Project Manager Tanel Mätlik. “We have constructed sustainable urban solutions and also trained municipal engineers, project designers and others. It’s a complex project.” 

The results speak for themselves. Over the project’s lifetime, annual rainwater emergencies in the city of Viimsi fell from 21 to 13, and in the demonstration area in the capital Tallinn, from seven to zero. Floods in Viimsi were more than halved. 

Nature-based floodwater management systems piloted by LIFE UrbanStorm included redesigning local parks and widening rivers to create rapids, water barriers and small waterfalls. The project trialed sustainable, permeable car parks to prevent rainwater from overwhelming sewage systems and tested pervious pavements, filter strips and rain gardens. More prosaic initiatives included a municipal rainwater tax and a digital rainwater management system. 

“Sustainable urban drainage systems typically mimic nature and manage rainwater close to where it falls,” explains Siim Reinla, a senior civil engineer from LIFE UrbanStorm. “They’re designed to slow down the runoff before it enters storm water systems. Compared to conventional pipe systems, they have a long list of benefits.” 

The project officially closed in February 2023, but its influence is far from over. Plans are underway to roll out similar measures in neighbouring Baltic Sea region countries, and eventually it’s hoped to reach more EU Member States and even some development aid recipient countries such as Moldova and Georgia. 

Funding for LIFE UrbanStorm also came from the Environmental Investment Center of Estonia. The project contributes to the implementation of EU policy such as the assessment and management of flood risks Directive, the EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change as well as to the European Green Deal and the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy.