Stormwater runoff and flooding pose major environmental challenges for cities due to land use change and altered hydrologic regimes. Research is needed to identify if there are consistent structural patterns associated with urbanization that are linked to stormwater runoff and discharge across a range of bioclimatic regions.

The goal of this dissertation was to advance understanding of the relations between land cover, drainage network structure, and stormwater discharge in urban watersheds. A literature review was conducted to synthesize knowledge about the components and processes that govern stormwater flows and flood management in urban settings. Landscape heterogeneity, space-time irregularity of rainfall, and coupled human-water interactions add complexity to stormwater processes. Research priorities include identifying landscape scale process patterns associated with urbanization that explain aggregate hydrologic responses at the watershed scale, and applying integrated socio-eco-techno-hydrologic approaches to investigate stormwater phenomena and develop resilient management solutions.

Terrain analysis of surface channel topological metrics was carried out to determine whether differences are present in drainage network structure as compared to rural settings. Correlations were tested for between the network topology and urban land cover features. Results showed limited differences between urban and rural metrics, and a need for higher-resolution urban drainage datasets. The proportion of surface channels overlapping with roads was correlated with imperviousness, road density and stormwater inlets, suggesting that the confluence between drainage networks and urban land cover can help identify impervious surfaces that serve as conduits of stormwater flow.

Patch-based classification was used to evaluate the spatial pattern of land cover and drainage network parameters across a rural-urban gradient and relate them to stormwater discharge. Patch distribution, peak discharge, and runoff ratios varied with the degree of development. Rainfall intensity was important in accentuating discharge differences between subbasins. Linear regression models revealed that imperviousness coupled with surface channels overlapping roads, and their spatial distribution with respect to the watershed outlet explained variability in maximum peak discharge. Together these findings demonstrate the utility of integrating land cover and drainage network features to illuminate landscape structural influences on urban hydrologic functions, and can help inform improved management of urban stormwater hydrology.