Synergistic Optimization of Real‐Time Control and Spatial Layout Can Enhance the Global Benefits of Urban Stormwater Storage Systems

Abstract

Traditional static designs of urban stormwater storage systems are increasingly inadequate for addressing extreme rainfalls. Recent advances highlight optimizing both spatial layout and real‐time control (RTC) of storage facilities, yet most of these decisions are made sequentially, overlooking how layout constraints can affect RTC efficiency and attain additional benefits from spatial‐temporal coordination. This study developed a synergistic optimization framework for coordinating stormwater storage system designs with their operational intelligence. This framework integrates a predictive target flow allocation‐based global control method with the optimization of storage capacity distribution, producing combined solutions of layout designs and control settings. Our methodology was applied to an urban catchment in Shenzhen, China, to evaluate the flood control performance under design and monitored heavy storms. Results show that the global RTC method substantially reduces flood peaks and runoff volumes under critical heavy storms. Compared with fixed‐layout or sequential optimization scenarios, integrating global RTC with synergistic optimization achieves the highest performance improvement over static control, with peak flow reduction rates increased by 11%∼32%. Moreover, the synergistic optimization identifies a subset of strategically located, high‐capacity control nodes contributing more than 98% of the system‐wide benefits, thus avoiding unnecessary RTC retrofitting elsewhere. These findings demonstrate the practical value of the synergistic optimization framework in guiding adaptive and efficient urban stormwater management.