scholarly journals Nature-Based Solutions for Flood Mitigation and Resilience in Urban Areas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Sofia Santos Ferreira ◽  
Kristina Potočki ◽  
Marijana Kapović-Solomun ◽  
Zahra Kalantari
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Flood Mitigation ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Population Vulnerability ◽  
Stormwater Retention

AbstractUrban areas face several environmental problems and risks related to water management, such as floods and degradation of water quality, enhancing population vulnerability and threatening urban sustainability. These problems are expected to be exacerbated with increasing urbanization and climate change, which leads to higher frequency and intensity of hydrometeorological extremes. Moving towards more flood resilient cities has proven a major challenge, particularly considering the high concentration of population and economic activities and, thus, high pressure on limited available space. Nature-based solutions (NBS) in urban areas favour stormwater retention, infiltration, and filtration, contributing to flood mitigation and enhancement of water quality. The effectiveness of different NBS on stormwater management, however, is influenced by design and placement aspects, but a network of connected NBS elements can improve flood mitigation and enhance urban resilience. Stronger evidence of the advantages of NBS, however, is still required to overcome the current challenges and barriers impairing their wider implementation in urban areas.

scholarly journals Addressing the Water–Energy–Food Nexus through Enhanced Green Roof Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1972
Author(s):  
Jeremy Wright ◽  
Jeremy Lytle ◽  
Devon Santillo ◽  
Luzalen Marcos ◽  
Kristiina Valter Mai
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Performance Optimization ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Rainwater Runoff ◽  
Rain Events

Urban densification and climate change are creating a multitude of issues for cities around the globe. Contributing factors include increased impervious surfaces that result in poor stormwater management, rising urban temperatures, poor air quality, and a lack of available green space. In the context of volatile weather, there are growing concerns regarding the effects of increased intense rainfalls and how they affect highly populated areas. Green roofs are becoming a stormwater management tool, occupying a growing area of urban roof space in many developed cities. In addition to the water-centric approach to the implementation of green roofs, these systems offer a multitude of benefits across the urban water–energy–food nexus. This paper provides insight to green roof systems available that can be utilized as tools to mitigate the effects of climate change in urbanized areas. A new array of green roof testing modules is presented along with research methods employed to address current issues related to food, energy and water performance optimization. Rainwater runoff after three rain events was observed to be reduced commensurate with the presence of a blue roof retention membrane in the testbed, the growing media depth and type, as well as the productive nature of the plants in the testbed. Preliminary observations indicate that more productive green roof systems may have increasingly positive benefits across the water–energy–food nexus in dense urban areas that are vulnerable to climate disruption.

scholarly journals Urban vulnerability and resilience within the context of climate change

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1811-1821 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Tromeur ◽  
R. Ménard ◽  
J.-B. Bailly ◽  
C. Soulié
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Climate Risks ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Urban Vulnerability ◽  
Energy Needs

Abstract. Natural hazards, due to climate change, are particularly damaging in urban areas because of interdependencies of their networks. So, urban resilience has to face up to climate risks. The most impacting phenomenon is the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The storage capacity of heat is depending on shapes of buildings, public spaces, spatial organization, transport or even industrial activities. So, adaptive strategies for improving urban climate could be possible in different ways. In the framework of the French project Resilis, this study characterises urban vulnerability and resilience in terms of energy needs of buildings and outside urban comfort according to the IPCC carbon dioxide emission scenarios B2 and A2 for the period 2050–2100 for 10 French cities. The evolutions of four climate indicators in terms of heating and cooling needs and number of hours when the temperature is above 28 °C are then obtained for each city to analyse climate risks and their impacts in urban environment.

scholarly journals Integrated Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Urban Resilience: From Climate and Hydrological Hazards to Risk Analysis and Measures

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6430
Author(s):  
Marc Velasco ◽  
Beniamino Russo ◽  
Eduardo Martínez-Gomariz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Urban Services ◽  
Hydrological Hazards ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Resilience Management ◽  
Work Done

This Special Issue brings together recent research findings related to urban resilience, in particular taking into account climate change impacts and hydrological hazards. Taking advantage of the work done in the H2020 RESCCUE project, 12 different papers dealing with several issues related to the resilience of urban areas have been published. Due to the complexity of cities, urban resilience management is one of the key challenges that our societies have to deal with in the near future. In addition, urban resilience is a transversal and multi-sectorial issue, affecting different urban services, several hazards, and all the steps of the risk management cycle. This is precisely why the papers contained in this Special Issue focus on varied subjects, such as impact assessments, urban resilience assessments, adaptation strategies, flood risk and urban services, always focusing on at least two of these topics.

scholarly journals Assessment on the Effectiveness of Urban Stormwater Management

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yixin Zhang ◽  
Weihan Zhao ◽  
Xue Chen ◽  
Changhyun Jun ◽  
Jianli Hao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Stormwater Runoff ◽  
Reduction Rate ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Sponge City ◽  
Global Issues

Stormwater management is a key urban issue in the world, in line with the global issues of urban sprawl and climate change. It is urgent to investigate the effectiveness in managing stormwater with different strategies for maintain urban resilience. A method based on a storm water management model (SWMM) was developed for assessing the control of stormwater runoff volume and the percentage removal of suspended solids by implementing a Sponge City strategy. An interdisciplinary approach was adopted incorporating Low Impact Development (LID) with urban Green Infrastructure and Gray Infrastructure paradigms in a typical old residential community in Suzhou, China. Four types of sponge facilities for reducing stormwater runoff were bio-retention cells, permeable pavements, grassed pitches, and stormwater gardens. The simulation results indicate that the stormwater pipe system can meet the management standard for storms with a five-year recurrence interval. The volume capture ratio of annual runoff is 91% and the reduction rate of suspended solids is 56%. This study demonstrates that Sponge City strategy is an effective approach for managing stormwater, particularly in old and densely populated urban areas. Implementing spongy facilities with a LID strategy for stormwater management can significantly enhance urban water resilience and increase ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Urban Green Infrastructure Framework for Housing Climate Resilience

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahmyddin Araaf Tauhid
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Urban Housing ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Climate Resilience

Climate change is affecting urban areas by increasing the intensity and frequency of climate-related disasters such as flooding, sea level rise, drought, etc. The trend is expected to rise significantly without proper intervention. Urban housings as the concentration of people and economic growth are the most impacted. This condition calls to study green infrastructure/GI strategies as a more sustainable way than the conventional. Such GI approach not only mitigate and adapt the impacts but also improve the urban climate resilience, particularly in the housing sector. Therefore, this study aims to propose a conceptual framework to integrate the elements for the implementation of GI for mitigating and adapting climate impact for urban resilience improvement. This study identified elements to employ GI for housing climate resilience: public awareness; land use and development regulation; land and property acquisition; environmental management plan; housing strategy; fiscal and taxation; and governance. This framework is a new tool for scoping and assessing urban housing vulnerability to climate change by helping stakeholders to systematically consider the benefit to introduce GI scheme in respective efforts.

scholarly journals The Contribution of NBS to Urban Resilience in Stormwater Management and Control: A Framework with Stakeholder Validation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Beceiro ◽  
Rita Salgado Brito ◽  
Ana Galvão
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
Performance Assessment System ◽  
The Face ◽  
And Control

Urban waters represent a crucial component for the enhancement of urban resilience due to their importance in cities. Nature-based solutions (NBS) have emerged as sustainable solutions to contribute to urban resilience in order to meet the challenges of climate change. In order to promote the use of NBS for increasing urban resilience, tools that demonstrate the value of this type of solutions over the long-term are required. A performance assessment system provides an adequate basis for demonstrating this value, as well as for diagnosing the current city situation, selecting and monitoring the implementation of solutions. Regarding NBS management, some assessment approaches have been published, focusing on assessing the effectiveness of NBS in the face of climate change and supporting their design and impact assessment. Nevertheless, an integrated approach to assess the NBS contribution for urban resilience has not been published. This paper presents a comprehensive resilience assessment framework (RAF) to evaluate the NBS contribution for urban resilience, focused on solutions for stormwater management and control. Furthermore, details on stakeholders’ validation, with focus on the metrics’ relevance and applicability to cities, is also presented.

scholarly journals Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture as a Tool for Food Security and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: The Case of Mestre

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5999
Author(s):  
Giulia Lucertini ◽  
Gianmarco Di Giustino
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Impact Reduction ◽  
Change Mitigation

Urban and peri-urban areas are subject to major societal challenges, like food security, climate change, biodiversity, resource efficiency, land management, social cohesion, and economic growth. In that context, Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA), thanks to its multifunctionality, could have a high value in providing social, economic, and environmental co-benefits. UPA is an emerging field of research and production that aims to improve food security and climate change impact reduction, improving urban resilience and sustainability. In this paper, a replicable GIS-based approach was used to localize and quantify available areas for agriculture, including both flat rooftop and ground-level areas in the mainland of the city of Venice (Italy). Then, possible horticultural yield production was estimated considering common UPA yield value and average Italian consumption. Climate change mitigation, like CO2 reduction and sequestration, and climate change adaptation, like Urban Flooding and Urban Heat Island reduction, due to the new UPA areas’ development were estimated. Despite the urban density, the identified areas have the potential to produce enough vegetables for the residents and improve climate change mitigation and adaptation, if transformed into agricultural areas. Finally, the paper concludes with a reflection on the co-benefits of UPA multifunctionality, and with some policy suggestions.

scholarly journals River Re-naturalization - a Nature-based Solution for Climate Change in Urban Areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 1203 (2) ◽  
pp. 022044
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Mazur
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
River Management ◽  
Drought Risk ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Urbanized Areas ◽  
Stormwater Retention ◽  
Drought Risk Management

Abstract The subject of the article is river management and their reconstruction in connection with the need to adapt urban areas to climate change. The article presents a fragment of a wider research. The aim of the study is to identify and indicate the main directions of activities undertaken in the field of river reconstruction, based on the analysis of documents and literature on the subject. The case study of the Wandle River - one of the tributaries of the Thames, running through heavily urbanized areas in London, is an example of the restoration of the river. In this case, the use of natural solutions improved: flood and drought risk management, stormwater retention, inhabitants' access to the river and biodiversity of natural habitats associated with the river.

scholarly journals Assessing Resilience to Climate Change in US Cities

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casilda Saavedra ◽  
William W. Budd ◽  
Nicholas P. Lovrich
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Planning ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Social Features ◽  
The Face ◽  
Us Cities ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies

In the face of uncertainties associated with climate change, building adaptive capacity and resilience at the community level emerges as an essential and timely element of local planning. However, key social factors that facilitate the effective building and maintenance of urban resilience are poorly understood. Two groups of US cities differing markedly in their commitment to climate change are contrasted with respect to their planning approaches and actions related to mitigation and adaptation strategies, and also in relation to social features that are believed to enhance adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change. The first group manifests a strong commitment to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the second group has demonstrated little or no such commitment. These cities are compared with respect to several noteworthy social features, including level of social capital, degree of unconventional thought, and level of cultural diversity. These characteristics are postulated to contribute to the adaptive capacity of communities for dealing with the impacts of climate change. The aim is to determine to what extent there is a relationship between social/cultural structures and urban commitment and planning for climate change that could discriminate between climate change resilient and nonresilient urban areas.

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