scholarly journals Assessment of Blue and Green Infrastructure Solutions in Shaping Urban Public Spaces—Spatial and Functional, Environmental, and Social Aspects

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 11041
Author(s):  
Kinga Kimic ◽  
Karina Ostrysz
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Scoring Method ◽  
Sustainable Stormwater Management ◽  
Urbanized Areas ◽  
Key Aspects

Blue and Green Infrastructure (BGI) provide one of the key Nature Based Solution (NBS) approaches for sustainable stormwater management in cities, in conjunction with extending the scope of Ecosystem Services (ES). In both the process of planning and designing highly urbanized areas, the implementation of BGI is important for the improvement of living conditions and counteracting the negative effects of climate change. Based on the literature review, 19 BGI solutions were identified and then valorized in relation to the following three key aspects: spatial and functional, environmental, and social. The results of the assessment were derived using the scoring method and allowed for the identification of BGI solutions with a high, medium or low value for shaping sustainable urban public spaces. Using the potential of analyzed BGI solutions to improve the functioning and attractiveness of urban areas requires a comprehensive approach. Conscious planning and designing should use the knowledge presented to make the implementation of BGI solutions as effective as possible in relation to the above-mentioned aspects of shaping urban public spaces.

scholarly journals ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE URBANIZATION OF THE NATIONAL THEATRE IN LONDON THROUGH CHANGE OF USE AND FUNCTIONS OF ARCHITECTURE

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
Danijela Rogina ◽  
◽  
Radivoje Dinulović ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Urban Forms ◽  
National Theatre ◽  
Sustainable Urbanization ◽  
Key Aspects

The human population is currently on the rise and most Europeans live in urban areas, leading to increased urbanization. The change comes with its challenges, as cities, architecture, and urban spaces need to become more fluid, multi-functional, and innovative. This paper examines whether a change of use of public spaces, and functions of architectural and urban forms, can be used as an element in the implementation of sustainable urbanization. The theoretical framework of this paper focuses on literature findings relating to identified key aspects such as innovative approaches in changes of use — recycling and upcycling, green infrastructure and financial aspects, concepts of “right of the place”, and public participation. These aspects are addressed on both theoretical and practical levels, with the National Theatre in London as a case study. Findings convey that the change of use of spaces can be utilized to achieve sustainable urbanization, together with the management of functions and uses of architectural and urban forms. However, further research is needed with various stakeholders to identify a solid and inherent database, as a foundation on which the most optimal urban spaces would emerge, by identifying new functions and uses of urban space and architecture.

Lightweight aggregates to reduce heavy metal pollution in green infrastructure for urban stormwater management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Concepcion Pla ◽  
Javier Valdes-Abellan ◽  
Miguel Angel Pardo ◽  
Maria Jose Moya-Llamas ◽  
David Benavente
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Metal Pollution ◽  
Heavy Metal Pollution ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Lightweight Aggregates ◽  
Urban Stormwater ◽  
Runoff Water

<p>The impervious nature of urban areas is mostly responsible for urban flooding, runoff water pollution and the interception of groundwater recharge. Green infrastructure and sustainable urban drainage systems combine natural and artificial measures to mitigate the abovementioned problems, improving stormwater management and simultaneously increasing the environmental values of urban areas. The actual rate of urban growth in many urban areas requires the enhancement and optimization of stormwater management infrastructures to integrate the territorial development with the natural processes. Regarding the quality of runoff stormwater, heavy metals are critical for their impact on human health and ecological systems, even more if we consider the cumulative effect that they produce on biota. Thus, innovative stormwater management approaches must consider new solutions to deal with heavy metal pollution problems caused by runoff. In this study, we propose the employment of Arlita<sup>®</sup> and Filtralite<sup>®</sup>, two kind of lightweight aggregates obtained from expanded clays, to remove heavy metal concentration from runoff stormwater. Laboratory experiments were developed to evaluate the removal rate of different heavy metals existent in runoff stormwater. The lightweight aggregates acted as filter materials in column experiments to quantify their removal capacity. In addition, batch tests were also developed to evaluate the exhaustive capacity of the materials. Results from the study confirmed the efficiency of the selected lightweight aggregates to reduce the heavy metals concentration by up to 90% in urban stormwater runoff.</p>

scholarly journals A review of green roof incentives as motivators for the expansion of green infrastructure in European cities

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Burszta-Adamiak ◽  
Wiesław Fiałkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
European Cities

Nowadays green roofs play a key role in alleviating the negative effects of urbanization. Despite investors awareness of the advantages of green roofs, there are still some barriers that hinder investments on a large scale. As a result a financial and non-financial incentives are implemented. The review presented in this paper allowed to identify the most popular initiatives and to formulate recommendations for creating incentive supporting implementation of green roofs in urban areas.

scholarly journals Sustainable stormwater management and design

2019 ◽  
pp. 261-269
Author(s):  
Janusz Niemczynowicz
Keyword(s):  
Natural Water ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Urban Runoff ◽  
New Development ◽  
Sustainable Stormwater Management ◽  
Water Volumes ◽  
Large Water ◽  
Detailed Application ◽  
Stormwater System

Stormwater system are necessary to convey urban runoff from a city in order to avoid floods in urban areas. Large water volumes of urban runoff bring important changes to natural water flow regime not only in a city but also downstream bringing pollution to entire river basin .The paper gives the rationale and principles of new development within urban storrnwater management. Two detailed application examples of new storrnwater management are presented in the paper.

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 Promoting the Use of Public Areas for Sustainable Stormwater Management in Cities with Mediterranean Climate

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. 632
Author(s):  
Georgia Priari
Keyword(s):  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Urban Drainage ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Urban Stormwater Management ◽  
Public Areas ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Sustainable Stormwater Management

The aim of this work is to identify and present small scale sustainable urban stormwater management techniques that can be implemented by local authorities into public spaces. We present areas that bioretention and other Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) can be adopted, causing the transformation of public areas into multifunctional spaces.

scholarly journals Water-seeking behavior among terrestrial arthropods and mollusks in a cool mesic region: Spatial and temporal patterns

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0260070
Author(s):  
Jamie E. Becker ◽  
Nadejda A. Mirochnitchenko ◽  
Haley Ingram ◽  
Ashley Everett ◽  
Kevin E. McCluney
Keyword(s):  
Water Demand ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Urban Heat Islands ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Water Losses ◽  
Terrestrial Arthropods ◽  
Urbanized Areas

Dehydration can have negative effects on animal physiological performance, growth, reproduction, and survival, and most animals seek to minimize these effects by reducing water losses or seeking water sources. Much—but not all—of the research on animal water balance comes from dryland ecosystems. However, animals inhabiting mesic regions may also experience desiccating conditions, for example within urban heat islands or during heatwaves and droughts. Here we examined how spatial variation in impervious surface and spatial and temporal variation in microclimate impact water demand behavior of terrestrial arthropods and mollusks in three areas of mesic Northwest Ohio, with analysis of taxa that exhibited the greatest water demand behavior. Water demand behavior was measured as the frequency that individuals were observed at an artificial water source (a moistened pouch), relative to the frequency at a control (a dry pouch). Overall, terrestrial arthropods and mollusks were found about twice as often at the water source than at the control (equivalent to 86 more observations on the wet pouch than on dry at each site, on average), with ants accounting for over 50% of the overall response in urban areas. Daily fluctuations in vapor pressure deficit (VPD) best predicted daily variation in water demand behavior, with increased demand at higher VPD. Mean VPD was generally highest near urbanized areas, but effects of VPD on water demand behavior were generally lower in urbanized areas (possibly related to reductions in overall abundance reducing the potential response). On certain days, VPD was high in natural areas and greenspaces, and this coincided with the highest arthropod water demand behavior observed. Our results suggest that terrestrial arthropod communities do experience periods of water demand within mesic regions, including in greenspaces outside cities, where they appear to respond strongly to short periods of dry conditions—an observation with potential relevance for understanding the effects of climate change.

scholarly journals The Usage and Perception of Pedestrian and Cycling Streets on Residents’ Well-being in Kalamaria, Greece

Land ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Panagopoulos ◽  
Stilianos Tampakis ◽  
Paraskevi Karanikola ◽  
Aikaterini Karipidou-Kanari ◽  
Apostolos Kantartzis
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Planning Framework ◽  
Satisfaction Rates ◽  
Health And Well Being

Pedestrian zones are public spaces intended for the continued and safe mobility of pedestrians and people with disabilities, and they provide multiple benefits to urban areas. They counterbalance the densely built-up areas, decrease atmospheric pollution, increase available green or social space, increase walking and cycling rates, and facilitate active play for children. Done properly, pedestrianization may also increase local business sales. Greece boasts open public spaces and the pedestrianization of common roads. The economic crisis that Greece has been experiencing since 2008 has led people to give up their vehicles and use the pedestrian streets more frequently. The purpose of this paper was to investigate residents’ perceptions and satisfaction rates concerning the pedestrian streets of Kalamaria, Greece, and evaluate their importance for residents’ well-being. Following a random sampling method, 400 residents were interviewed. A two-step cluster analysis was conducted. The survey showed that the urban residents visited pedestrian zones in Kalamaria at least once a week, and the visits lasted 46–60 min. The improvement of urban landscape aesthetics and people’s health and well-being were evaluated as important functions of pedestrian zones. The results also indicate that residents were not satisfied with their quality of life and the existing green infrastructures of the pedestrian streets, even though they have a positive disposition toward the construction or transformation of pedestrian streets. The residents expressed their unwillingness to pay more public taxes for the construction and maintenance of pedestrian and cycling streets. The safety and convenience of the mobility of residents were the most important advantages of the pedestrian streets. Meanwhile, overspill parking and difficulties with finding parking spaces were the main disadvantages for the residents. Local authorities can use the results of the present survey to manage the city’s green infrastructure and use this information in the urban planning framework.

scholarly journals Retrofitting the Low Impact Development Practices into Developed Urban areas Including Barriers and Potential Solution

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Shafique ◽  
Reeho Kim
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Natural Area ◽  
Suitable Combination ◽  
Stormwater Management Practices ◽  
Impervious Areas ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractLow impact development (LID)/green infrastructure (GI) practices have been identified as the sustainable practices of managing the stormwater in urban areas. Due to the increasing population, most of the cities are more developing which results in the change of natural area into impervious areas (roads, buildings etc.). Moreover, urbanization and climate change are causing many water-related problems and making over cities unsafe and insecure. Under these circumstances, there is a need to introduce new stormwater management practices into developed cities to reduce the adverse impacts of urbanization. For this purpose, retrofitting low impact development practices demands more attention to reduce these water-related problems and trying to make our cities sustainable. In developed areas, there is a little space is available for the retrofitting of LID practices for the stormwater management. Therefore, the selection of an appropriate place to retrofitting LID practices needs more concern. This paper describes the successfully applied retrofitting LID practices around the globe. It also includes the process of applying retrofitting LID practices at the suitable place with the suitable combination. Optimal places for the retrofitting of different LID practices are also mentioned. This paper also highlights the barriers and potential solutions of retrofitting LID practices in urban areas.

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