Optimization of Impervious Surface Space Layout for Prevention of Urban Rainstorm Waterlogging: A Case Study of Guangzhou, China

With the rapid expansion of impervious surfaces, urban waterlogging has become a typical “urban disease” in China, seriously hindering the sustainable development of cities. Therefore, reducing the impact of impervious surfaces on surface runoff is an effective approach to alleviate urban waterlogging. Presently, the development mode of many cities in China has shifted from an increase in urban scale to the improvement of urban quality through urban renewal, which is the current and future development path for most cities. Optimizing the design of impervious surfaces in urban renewal planning to reduce its impact on surface runoff is an important way to prevent and control urban waterlogging. The aim of this research is to construct an optimization model of impervious surface space layout under the framework of a geographic simulation technology-integrated ant colony optimization (ACO) and Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) model (ACO-SCS) in a case study of Guangzhou in China. Urban runoff plots in the study area are divided according to the area of the urban planning unit. With the goal of minimizing the runoff coefficient, the optimal space layout of the impervious surfaces is obtained, which provides a technical method and reference for urban waterlogging prevention and control through urban renewal planning. The results reveal that the optimization of impervious surface space layout through ACO-SCS achieves a satisfactory effect with an average optimization rate of 9.52%, and a maximum optimization rate of 33.16%. The research also shows that the initial impervious surface layout is the key influencing factor in ACO-SCS. In the urban renewal planning stage, the space layout of the impervious surfaces with a high–low–high density discontinuous connection can be constructed by transforming medium-density impervious surfaces into low-density impervious surfaces to achieve the flat and long-type agglomeration of the low-density and high-density impervious surfaces, which can effectively reduce the influence of urban development on surface runoff. There is spatial heterogeneity of the optimal results in different urban runoff plots. Therefore, the policy of urban renewal planning for urban waterlogging prevention and control should be different. The optimized results of impervious surface space layout provide useful reference information for urban renewal planning.