Jie Yang

        Beijing, as the political, cultural, and economic center of China, is a modern and highly developed city. However, due to rapid urbanization and changing weather patterns in the past 40 years, the city has been increasingly troubled by urban water issues such as severe flash flooding during the wet summer season. Among the many flooding spots, a lot of them are around the interchanges and have caused the traffic system to collapse. This capstone project explores the significant causes of interchange flooding in Beijing and develops prototype designs in potential spaces both around and upstream from the interchanges for stormwater management. Information of interchanges prone to flooding was first collected from major map resources in China, including their structural types, common flooding areas, and recorded flood levels. Literature review and precedent studies were then conducted to explore primary reasons for interchange flooding and potential solutions for both reducing flooding and improving stormwater quality. For local solutions under or surround the interchanges, five prototype designs and schematic models were developed based on the type of the interchange and characteristics of the spaces under or around the interchange. In addition, a few other stormwater management tools most suitable for retrofitting conditions were identified to detain and treat stormwater in spaces upstream from the interchanges.