Green infrastructure for flood-risk management in Dar es Salaam and Copenhagen: exploring the potential for transitions towards sustainable urban water management

Water Policy ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Mguni ◽  
L. Herslund ◽  
M. B. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Dar Es Salaam ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Urban Drainage ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Sewer Systems ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management

The risk of flooding in urban areas could be better approached by complementing conventional sewer systems with sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) for storm-water management. This may be the case for developing world cities like Dar es Salaam with incomplete sewer services, as well as cities like Copenhagen with fully developed sewer systems. This paper explores some theories relevant to understanding how the implementation of SUDS may be one option for supporting a transition towards sustainable urban water management (SUWM). Using interviews, document analysis and observation, a comparison of the opportunities and barriers to the implementation of SUDS in Dar es Salaam and Copenhagen is presented. The results indicate that a bottom-up approach in Dar es Salaam is important, with the community level taking the lead, while in Copenhagen the top-down approach currently employed is promising. The ability of the institutional frameworks of both cities to support the implementation of SUDS is also discussed.

A conceptual framework for addressing complexity and unfolding transition dynamics when developing sustainable adaption strategies in urban water management

2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 2393-2401 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. F. Fratini ◽  
M. Elle ◽  
M. B. Jensen ◽  
P. S. Mikkelsen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
System Optimization ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Transition

To achieve a successful and sustainable adaptation to climate change we need to transform the way we think about change. Much water management research has focused on technical innovation with a range of new solutions developed to achieve a ‘more sustainable and integrated urban water management cycle’. But Danish municipalities and utility companies are struggling to bring such solutions into practice. ‘Green infrastructure’, for example, requires the consideration of a larger range of aspects related to the urban context than the traditional urban water system optimization. There is the need for standardized methods and guidelines to organize transdisciplinary processes where different types of knowledge and perspectives are taken into account. On the basis of the macro–meso–micro pattern inspired by complexity science and transition theory, we developed a conceptual framework to organize processes addressing the complexity characterizing urban water management in the context of climate change. In this paper the framework is used to organize a research process aiming at understanding and unfolding urban dynamics for sustainable transition. The final goal is to enable local authorities and utilities to create the basis for managing and catalysing the technical and organizational innovation necessary for a sustainable transition towards climate change adaptation in urban areas.

scholarly journals Innovative Methods in Sustainable Urban Development and Water Management

TEM Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 757-765
Author(s):  
Ágnes Agócsová ◽  
Zuzana Chodasová
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Living Standard ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management

Innovative methods presently affect all sectors of the national economy contributing to the progress and overall development of the economy, and the living standard worldwide. Innovations are equally necessary both in the private and in public sectors therefore, the original innovative ideas in each sector are greatly accepted. Similar concept is significant for companies dealing with urban water management. New methods are available mainly for capturing and reusing of rainwater in urban areas which leads to a positive impact on sustainable urban water management regarding today's water scarcity problems. This article describes some of the most popular innovative methods and examples used for rainwater harvesting, recycling and reuse. As a result, the evaluation of the most suitable water harvesting techniques related to sustainable water management, and their application in the city of Brno in Czech Republic are described.

Assessment of the role of green infrastructure in sustainable urban water management

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ágnes Gulyás ◽  
Ákos Csete
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Harvesting Systems

<p>Due to the climate change caused uncertainty, the urban areas face new challenges. In addition to mitigating the negative effects, it is important the developments need to implemented in a sustainable manner. The problem of urban areas is substantial on account of their growing spatial size and population, furthermore the inadequate infrastructure. Urban districts with inadequate infrastructure can be a major source of water pollution, but also have a significant impact on the well-being of the citizens. In modern urban planning the sustainable urban water management based on the usage of green infrastructure. Green infrastructure is an important tool to make urban water cycle sustainable by linking artificial, engineered elements (gray infrastructure) with the services provided by vegetation. Green infrastructure can help to make the urban water cycle sustainable in many ways. Its primary role is the mitigating effect, such as reducing and retaining surface runoff with the process of interception and evaporation. Due to the complex structure of vegetation, it can also play an important role in infiltration (by root system), thus also reducing surface runoff.</p><p>Providing adequate data on the role of green infrastructure <strong>–</strong> even on a city-wide scale <strong>–</strong> can help decision makers. To accomplish this, hydrological models can play an important role. If these models (i-Tree Hydro) based on appropriate meteorological and land cover data, they can help to estimate the runoff and infiltration of study areas and the reducing effect of vegetation (interception, evaporation). In our study, we attempted to compare two significantly different urban district based on these aspects and to analyze the differences. Analyzes in the two study areas of Szeged (Hungary) all suggest the vegetation can significantly contribute to the reduction of surface runoff. Differences between these urban districts can be quantified so these data can serve as a basis for decision making in urban planning processes.</p><p>As another element of our research, we analyzed the relationship between surface runoff and infiltration in modeling study (SWMM) of rainwater harvesting systems in public institutions (kindergartens). In this part of the research, besides the efficiency of the rainwater harvesting systems, we got data about the extent of surface runoff, evaporation and infiltration on yard of kindergartens.</p>

scholarly journals Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) in Sustainable Urban Water Management

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Declan Page ◽  
Elise Bekele ◽  
Joanne Vanderzalm ◽  
Jatinder Sidhu
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management

To meet increasing urban water requirements in a sustainable way, there is a need to diversify future sources of supply and storage. However, to date, there has been a lag in the uptake of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) for diversifying water sources in urban areas. This study draws on examples of the use of MAR as an approach to support sustainable urban water management. Recharged water may be sourced from a variety of sources and in urban centers, MAR provides a means to recycle underutilized urban storm water and treated wastewater to maximize their water resource potential and to minimize any detrimental effects associated with their disposal. The number, diversity and scale of urban MAR projects is growing internationally due to water shortages, fewer available dam sites, high evaporative losses from surface storages, and lower costs compared with alternatives where the conditions are favorable, including water treatment. Water quality improvements during aquifer storage are increasingly being documented at demonstration sites and more recently, full-scale operational urban schemes. This growing body of knowledge allows more confidence in understanding the potential role of aquifers in water treatment for regulators. In urban areas, confined aquifers provide better protection for waters recharged via wells to supplement potable water supplies. However, unconfined aquifers may generally be used for nonpotable purposes to substitute for municipal water supplies and, in some cases, provide adequate protection for recovery as potable water. The barriers to MAR adoption as part of sustainable urban water management include lack of awareness of recent developments and a lack of transparency in costs, but most importantly the often fragmented nature of urban water resources and environmental management.

Working towards sustainable urban water management: the vulnerability blind spot

2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 2362-2369 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Werbeloff ◽  
R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Diversity Strategy

The unprecedented water scarcity in Australia coincides with the adoption of a new urban water rhetoric. The ‘Security through Diversity’ strategy has been adopted in a number of Australian cities as a new and innovative approach to urban water management. Although this strategy offers a more holistic approach to urban water management, in practice, the Security through Diversity strategy is largely being interpreted and implemented in a way that maintains the historical dependence on large scale, centralised water infrastructure and therefore perpetuates existing urban water vulnerabilities. This research explores the implementation of Security through Diversity as the new water scarcity response strategy in the cities of Perth and Melbourne. Through a qualitative study with over sixty-five urban water practitioners, the results reveal that the practitioners have absorbed the new Security through Diversity language whilst maintaining the existing problem and solution framework for urban water management. This can be explained in terms of an entrenched technological path dependency and cognitive lock-in that is preventing practitioners from more comprehensively engaging with the complexities of the Security through Diversity strategy, which is ultimately perpetuating the existing vulnerability of our cities. This paper suggests that greater engagement with the underlying purpose of the security though diversity strategy is a necessary first step to overcome the constraints of the traditional technological paradigm and more effectively reduce the continued vulnerability of Australian cities.

Urban-Water Harmony model to evaluate the urban water management

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 1774-1781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Ding ◽  
Deshan Tang ◽  
Yuhang Wei ◽  
Sun Yin
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management

Water resources in many urban areas are under enormous stress due to large-scale urban expansion and population explosion. The decision-makers are often faced with the dilemma of either maintaining high economic growth or protecting water resources and the environment. Simple criteria of water supply and drainage do not reflect the requirement of integrated urban water management. The Urban-Water Harmony (UWH) model is based on the concept of harmony and offers a more integrated approach to urban water management. This model calculates four dimensions, namely urban development, urban water services, water–society coordination, and water environment coordination. And the Analytic Hierarchy Process has been used to determine the indices weights. We applied the UWH model to Beijing, China for an 11-year assessment. Our findings show that, despite the severe stress inherent in rapid development and water shortage, the urban water relationship of Beijing is generally evolving in a positive way. The social–economic factors such as the water recycling technologies contribute a lot to this change. The UWH evaluation can provide a reasonable analysis approach to combine various urban and water indices to produce an integrated and comparable evaluation index. This, in turn, enables more effective water management in decision-making processes.

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