Beira

Beira is a low-lying coastal city where flood risk has become a defining part of urban planning. The Chiveve River and the city’s drainage network were heavily degraded, increasing exposure to intense rainfall and cyclones in neighbourhoods where conventional storm-water systems alone were insufficient.

Recent resilience work has combined grey and green infrastructure: drainage rehabilitation, flood-control structures, mangrove restoration, water-retention areas and a 17-hectare urban park along the Chiveve. The result is an urban system in which public space, ecology and drainage perform several functions at once. Beira’s experience shows how climate adaptation can shape the city’s physical structure rather than remain a separate emergency measure, linking flood protection with neighbourhood access, recreation and long-term land-use decisions.