Urban flooding, intensified by climate change and rapid urbanization, presents a critical challenge to global resilience. Current approaches often operate in silos, with a significant gap in the comparative and integrated assessment of smart-technology versus nature-based solution (NbS) strategies across diverse global contexts. This study addresses this gap through a systematic analysis of urban flood management in selected cities from China, the USA, Europe, and Southeast Asia, chosen to represent varied climates, topographies, and development levels.