LOOKING at the recent saddening flood incidents happening throughout our beloved State, Sabah, I have shared my proposal presentation slides on my company’s Facebook page, which I presented during the DBKK Advisory Board Meeting back in July 2025.
The topic discusses “Tackling Future Flooding in Our City: Flood Resilience & Urban Sink Design Strategy for Our City – Leveraging Open Spaces with Underground Stormwater Infrastructure.
Flooding in Sabah is no longer just a seasonal nuisance. It has grown into a pressing urban challenge that threatens livelihoods, infrastructure, and the livability of our beloved state.
Each year, intense rainfall overwhelms drains, inundates roads, and disrupts daily life for thousands of residents. Recent floods serve as reminders that our current measures are insufficient against the combined pressures of climate change, rapid urbanization, and insufficient stormwater infrastructure.
Traditionally, flood management has been viewed as an engineer’s task, revolving around drains, culverts, pumps, and retention ponds. Understandably, some may wonder why an architect is writing about floods here.
But in truth, architects are not outsiders to this conversation. We also design the open spaces, public parks, and communal areas that define urban living.
These are the same spaces that either suffer or could help solve flooding issues. As members of the public and professionals with a role in shaping the built environment, architects also share a deep concern about the future flood resilience of Sabah.
My proposal stems from this dual perspective of professional responsibility and civic duty. It is not intended to encroach upon the engineers’ domain, but rather to contribute complementary ideas.
The concept is simple yet transformative: upgrade existing open spaces by incorporating underground stormwater detention systems beneath them.
Why underground detention systems?Underground detention systems, such as reinforced concrete modular basins, are widely used in modern cities facing flood risks. They act as hidden reservoirs located beneath playgrounds, sports courts, parking lot, or green parks.
When heavy rainfall occurs, instead of water flooding streets and buildings, the excess runoff is channeled into these underground storage chambers. Once the storm subsides, the water is gradually released into the drainage system in a controlled manner.
Above ground, the land remains usable – children play in the park, families gather at community squares, residents enjoy shaded green spaces, and parking spaces can also be provided for the vehicles.
Beneath the surface, however, the city gains an invisible layer of protection against floods.
This approach is ideal for cities and towns in Sabah, where land availability is limited and expensive. Instead of dedicating precious urban land solely for retention ponds or endlessly enlarging drains, underground detention allows for dual-purpose land use: recreation and resilience combined.
Limitations of our current approachCurrently, Sabah relies heavily on conventional surface retention & detention, and open drains. These have several limitations:Land scarcity – retention & detention ponds consume large tracts of land that could otherwise serve communities.Limited storage – surface-based retention or detention cannot always accommodate extreme rainfall.Maintenance challenges – open drains and ponds are prone to sediment buildup, mosquito breeding, and misuse.Urban disconnect – these spaces often become underutilized or neglected, offering little social value.This is where an architectural perspective becomes valuable. By embedding detention systems beneath community-oriented spaces, we convert a single-function utility into a multi-functional civic asset.
The role of architectsArchitects are the professionals responsible for designing and planning open spaces in urban developments. It is only natural that we extend this role to consider how such spaces can double as flood mitigation infrastructure.
By doing so, we strengthen the resilience of the city while still fulfilling the social and recreational needs of the public.
However, architects cannot deliver these solutions alone. The success of such interventions depends on close collaboration with developers, engineers, other consultants, local authorities, and policymakers.
This is not about replacing one profession’s role with another’s, but about merging expertise to achieve greater results. Flooding is a multi-dimensional challenge that requires multi-disciplinary teamwork.
Implementation possibilities To move forward, the state government can begin with pilot projects in flood-prone areas with limited new developable land, such as Kota Kinabalu CBD, Lido, Likas, Kepayan, Donggongon, Tanjung Aru, Putatan, Kolombong, Inanam, and Menggatal.
These sites are strategically significant and frequently affected by floods. By integrating underground detention systems beneath community open spaces, the state government can demonstrate both feasibility and public benefits.
The implementation would involve:Feasibility studies to assess ground conditions, drainage capacity, and design integration.
Construction of modular underground detention basins with reinforced concrete structures (lifespan ≥ 50 years).
Surface restoration into parks, basketball courts, car parking lot, or landscaped plazas for public use.
Technology integration, such as sensors for monitoring water storage and release.
Maintenance planning, including scheduled inspections and GIS tracking of assets.
Long-term visionIf pilot projects prove successful, the strategy can be scaled across other districts in Sabah, gradually building a network of distributed underground detention facilities. Over time, this would drastically reduce flood risks while enhancing the quality of open spaces for the community.
Institutionally, the state government could embed these solutions into local development plans, requiring large-scale projects to assess and contribute to flood detention capacity.
Policy alignment with relevant local agencies will ensure continuity and scalability. Ultimately, this would position our city as a model for integrated, water-sensitive urban design.
A call to actionThe message is clear: the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of innovation. Every year of delay exposes residents, businesses, and critical infrastructure to greater risk. Flooding will not wait for us to be ready; it will only worsen with climate change.
This is why I would like to suggest local councils, relevant agencies, state leaders, and community stakeholders to take bold action. If we do not start thinking ahead, and if we keep treating floods as just temporary inconveniences, we will be caught off guard when the many next ones hit harder and harder.
Sabah has the opportunity to turn its vulnerability into strength. By rethinking how we use open spaces, by embracing hidden yet powerful underground infrastructure, and by working together across disciplines, we can safeguard the future of our beloved state.
Let’s not wait until it is too late. Let’s use what we have to build a safer future for everyone. The question is not whether we can afford to act, but whether we can afford not to.
To read about my proposal presentation slides, you may visit my company’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/tanyoungarchitect/.
