scholarly journals A review of nature-based solutions for urban water management in European circular cities: a critical assessment based on case studies and literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Volkan Oral ◽  
Pedro Carvalho ◽  
Magdalena Gajewska ◽  
Nadia Ursino ◽  
Fabio Masi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Urban System ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Indoor Climate ◽  
Societal Challenges ◽  
Reduction Of Energy Consumption ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Nature-based solutions (NBS) can protect, manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems. They are a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to address societal challenges and some natural hazards effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. NBS applications can be easily noticed in circular cities, establishing an urban system that is regenerative and accessible. This paper aims to offer a review on NBS for urban water management from the literature and some relevant projects running within the COST Action ‘Implementing nature-based solutions for creating a resourceful circular city’. The method used in the study is based on a detailed tracking of specific keywords in the literature using Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Based on this review, three main applications were identified: (i) flood and drought protection; (ii) the water-food-energy nexus; and (iii) water purification. The paper shows that NBS provide additional benefits, such as improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, obtaining social co-benefits, improving urban microclimate, and the reduction of energy consumption by improving indoor climate. The paper concludes that a systemic change to NBS should be given a higher priority and be preferred over conventional water infrastructure.

scholarly journals Efficiency Analysis of Water Conservation Measures in Sanitary Infrastructure Systems by Means of a Systemic Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 3055
Author(s):  
Karoline Richter ◽  
Daniel Costa dos Santos ◽  
Aloísio Leoni Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Urban Impacts ◽  
Urban Water Use ◽  
Effective Drainage

The challenges of urban water management and sanitary infrastructure (water supply (WSS), sewage (SS), urban drainage (UDS) systems) are increasingly frequent in Brazilian cities whether as a combined result of overcrowding and/or a lack governmental interest and hence investments, in the sector. Such an increase in environmental pressure reflects directly on population welfare and well-being related to the availability of drinking water, wastewater treatment, and access to effective drainage systems in order to minimize, or at least reduce, the occurrence of urban flooding and associated public health risks. Thus, alternatives with an integrated approach to urban water management are interesting to the reality of countries such as Brazil. The urban water use (UWU) model is a strategic planning tool with integrated way of thinking, which selects measures to mitigate the urban impacts in sanitary infrastructure and buildings. In this sense, the objective of this research is to apply the UWU model in a case study in Curitiba/Brazil to demonstrate the effect of the systematic approach and its intrinsic synergies in the systems in question, promoting water conservation in urban areas. The results are favorable to integrated systems with synergy use, evidencing quantitatively a greater efficiency in them.

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.

scholarly journals Towards a Cross-Sectoral View of Nature-Based Solutions for Enabling Circular Cities

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 2352
Author(s):  
Guenter Langergraber ◽  
Joana A. C. Castellar ◽  
Theis Raaschou Andersen ◽  
Maria-Beatrice Andreucci ◽  
Gösta F. M. Baganz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Secondary Benefits ◽  
Management Of Resources ◽  
The Cost

A framework developed by the COST Action Circular City (an EU-funded network of 500+ scientists from 40+ countries; COST = Cooperation in Science and Technology) for addressing Urban Circularity Challenges (UCCs) with nature-based solutions (NBSs) was analyzed by various urban sectors which refer to different fields of activities for circular management of resources in cities (i.e., reducing use of resources and production of waste). The urban sectors comprise the built environment, urban water management, resource recovery, and urban farming. We present main findings from sector analyses, discuss different sector perspectives, and show ways to overcome these differences. The results reveal the potential of NBSs to address multiple sectors, as well as multiple UCCs. While water has been identified as a key element when using NBSs in the urban environment, most NBSs are interconnected and also present secondary benefits for other resources. Using representative examples, we discuss how a holistic and systemic approach could facilitate the circular use of resources in cities. Currently, there is often a disciplinary focus on one resource when applying NBSs. The full potential of NBSs to address multifunctionality is, thus, usually not fully accounted for. On the basis of our results, we conclude that experts from various disciplines can engage in a cross-sectoral exchange and identify the full potential of NBSs to recover resources in circular cities and provide secondary benefits to improve the livelihood for locals. This is an important first step toward the full multifunctionality potential enabling of NBSs.

scholarly journals Guiding urban water management towards 1.5 °C

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Ghg Mitigation ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Energy Flows

AbstractReliable access to clean and affordable water is prerequisite for human well being, but its provision in cities generates environmental externalities including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As policy-makers target opportunities to mitigate GHGs in line with the Paris Agreement, it remains vague how urban water management can contribute to the goal of limiting climate warming to 1.5 °C. This perspective guides policy-makers in the selection of innovative technologies and strategies for leveraging urban water management as a climate change mitigation solution. Recent literature, data and scenarios are reviewed to shine a light on the GHG mitigation potential and the key areas requiring future research. Increasing urban water demands in emerging economies and over-consumption in developed regions pose mitigation challenges due to energy and material requirements that can be partly offset through end-use water conservation and expansion of decentralized, nature-based solutions. Policies that integrate urban water and energy flows, or reconfigure urban water allocation at the river basin-level remain untapped mitigation solutions with large gaps in our understanding of potentials.

ANALYTICS FOR SUPPORTING URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 875-881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Candelieri ◽  
Francesco Archetti ◽  
Enza Messina
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management

Urban Water Resources Toolbox - Integrating Groundwater into Urban Water Management

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (0) ◽  
pp. 9781780402437-9781780402437 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Wolf ◽  
B. Morris ◽  
S. Burn
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management

Coping with uncertainties in integrated urban water management

1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 265-269
Author(s):  
Govert D. Geldof
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Monte Carlo Simulation ◽  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Integrated Water Management ◽  
Good Design ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Simulation Results

In the practice of integrated water management we meet complexity, subjectivity and uncertainties. Uncertainties come into play when new urban water management techniques are applied. The art of a good design is not to reduce uncertainties as much as possible, but to find the middle course between cowardice and recklessness. This golden mean represents bravery. An interdisciplinary approach is needed to reach consensus. Calculating uncertainties by using Monte Carlo simulation results may be helpful.

scholarly journals Urban Water Management: A Pragmatic Approach

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3589
Author(s):  
Bruno Brunone ◽  
Marco Franchini
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Pragmatic Approach ◽  
Electronic Conference

When the 4th edition of the International Electronic Conference on Water Sciences (ECWS-4), sponsored by Water and MDPI, was launched, the COVID-19 pandemic did not exist at all [...]

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