Quantifying the Benefits and Ecosystem Services Provided by Green Roofs—A Review

Water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) has been widely used in cities to mitigate the negative consequences of urbanization and climate change. One of the WSUD strategies that is becoming popular is green roofs (GR) which offer a wide range of ecosystem services. Research on this WSUD strategy has been continuously increasing in terms of both quantity and quality. This paper presents a comprehensive review quantifying the benefits of GRs in papers published since 2010. More precisely, this review aims to provide up-to-date information about each GR benefit and how they have improved over the last decade. In agreement with previous reviews, extensive GRs were considerably researched, as compared to very limited studies on intensive and semi-intensive GRs. Each GR ecosystem service was specifically quantified, and an imbalance of GR research focus was identified, wherein urban heat- and runoff-related benefits were outstandingly popular when compared to other benefits. The results also highlight the recent introduction of hybrid GRs, which demonstrated improvements in GR performance. Furthermore, limitations of GRs, obstacles to their uptake, and inconsistent research findings were also identified in this review. Accordingly, opportunities for future research were pointed out in this review. This paper also recommends future studies to improve upon well-known GR benefits by exploring and applying more innovative GR construction techniques and materials. At the same time, further studies need to be undertaken on inadequately studied GR benefits, such as reduced noise and air pollution. In spite of the existence of reliable modelling tools, their application to study the effects of large-scale implementations of GRs has been restricted. Insufficient information from such research is likely to restrict large-scale implementations of GRs. As a result, further studies are required to transform the GR concept into one of the widely accepted and implemented WSUD strategies.

Are we planning blue-green infrastructure opportunistically or strategically? Insights from Sydney, Australia

Strategic placement of water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) is essential in optimising its performance and maximising co-benefits. However, little is known about the current placement and interconnectedness between WSUD assets and the performance of current planning strategies. We evaluated the placement of existing WSUDs in a highly urbanised catchment in Sydney, Australia. We used a three-step process: (1) compiling a comprehensive spatial asset database, (2) performing spatial correlation analysis between asset locations and biophysical, urban form and socioeconomic variables and (3) using a novel approach to facilitate holistic understanding through analysing asset locations compared with the outcome of the spatial suitability analysis tool (SSANTO). WSUD coverage was generally low, with clustering in some municipalities. Placement was constrained by physical variables, such as slope, limited space and varying land uses. However, placement was not detectably influenced by most socioeconomic variables. SSANTO's suitability score at asset locations was only slightly higher than average, suggesting that the placement of existing WSUD was opportunistic, rather than strategically planned. Further development and implementation of tools able to account for spatial constraints will help guide future WSUD placement as a component of green urban stormwater management.

Climate Resilience and Regeneration: How Precincts Can Adapt to and Mitigate Climate Change

Healthy urban ecosystems are increasingly recognised as important for resilient cities and need to be considered as part of GPR. Urban nature-based solutions (NBS) comprising green (vegetation) and blue (water) infrastructure need to be considered at multiple scales from the bioregions, through to catchments, neighbourhoods/precincts, blocks, streets, and buildings, including linkages through and in GPR areas. This chapter describes how climate change—particularly extreme urban heat—is expected to affect Australian cities, and how green and blue infrastructure can help GPR to be incorporated into urban adaptation and mitigation solutions. Topics covered include water-sensitive urban design, nature-based solutions, and urban cooling. The chapter outlines how nature-based solutions can be incorporated into higher-density regenerative urban redevelopment through new technologies and supported by planning models, many of which can be best designed and managed at precinct scale. The ‘additionality’ of green and blue nature-based solutions can offer residents of GPR areas increased liveability and enhanced resilience in both normal and extreme weather.

Rainwater harvesting as an alternative of freshwater supply in Balikpapan city – a case study of Institut Teknologi Kalimantan

Currently, 73% of the water demand in Balikpapan was only supplied from Manggar Reservoir, and it will continue decreasing parallelly with the increasing population. Regarding the population issues and the government’s planning for the new capital city of Indonesia, Balikpapan will be a buffer city facing serious risk in water supply issues in the future. Therefore, this study seeks to analyze an alternative of water supply. Following the concepts in Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), The rainwater harvesting (RWH) method was chosen for preventive analysis, and Institut Teknologi Kalimantan (ITK) as one of the reputable’s universities in Balikpapan will be taken as a study location. The results obtained that the monthly water demand in ITK was ranged from 3228.34 m3 to 16632.97 m3. Using RWH, water supply analysis was obtained from 3790.62 m3 to 10697.31 m3 in various rainfall durations (0.5 to 2 hours) and 20 years projections (2022 to 2042). Following the obtained water supply. This study also reveals that the savings of total water usage can be reached from 24% to 100%, and around IDR 14,082,002 to IDR 37,035,390 is converted to currency. The highest saving reached due to water supply meets the water demand.

Measures to Prevent Surface Leaks in a Periurban Area Using Responsible Environmental Approaches

Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat for Romania and for the whole world. Restoring nature will be a central element of the EU's recovery plan from the coronavirus pandemic, providing immediate investment opportunities to revive the European economy. Both urban and industrial developments are changing landscapes from vegetated permeable surfaces to a series of interconnected impermeable surfaces, resulting in large amounts of rainwater runoff, which requires management. Rainwater runoff is treated by the authorities as a liability and a nuisance that endangers human health and property. Starting from this aspect, over time, systems for collecting and transporting rainwater directly to watercourses have been designed, but without considering the conservation of ecosystems. Rainwater runoff is a source of pollutants washed off hard or compacted surfaces during rain events. These pollutants can be pesticides, herbicides, hydrocarbons, traces of metals but also organic compounds. Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), Low Impact Development (LID), Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) are spatial planning and technical design approaches that integrate the urban water cycle, including stormwater management, groundwater and wastewater and water supply, in urban design to minimize environmental degradation and improve aesthetic and recreational attraction. The article presents possible solutions applicable to a locality in the west of Romania that is facing the drainage of meteoric waters. This locality was one of the most affected by the recent floods, with over 6,700 ha of almost destroyed crops, 300 flooded houses, 70% of compromised gardens, the most affected being the new residential neighbourhoods. Timiş County is one of the Romania counties with the largest network of hydrotechnical arrangements (about 480,000 ha on which hydro-amelioration works are executed and over 11,500 km of drainage, irrigation, and soil erosion control channels), it risks becoming a swamp again due to the indifference or ignorance of some of the decision - makers, the lack of appropriate legislation, the non - application of the existing one and the low underfunding after 1990.

STRATEGI PERANCANGAN KAWASAN PERUMAHAN BERKELANJUTAN DENGAN PENDEKATAN WATER SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN DI KAWASAN BANDUNG UTARA

The rapid growth of settlement in the northern part of Bandung, as well as known KBU, increases slightly as an impact of the economy growth in the capital city of West Java. These influences strongly has some effects, such as the changing of land use and the decreasing of water absorption. For instance, the agricultural land area, the conservation area and the green area become settlement area and commercial area, therefore this area is a lack of absorption area due to the declining the green area. These evidences are following checked according to the WALHI’s data, around 70% of green area, such as protected forest, agricultural land, and plantation area leads to be settlement area, residential area and commercial area. Mostly Bandung Raya, included Cimahi, South Bandung, and Kabupaten Bandung get flood as the effect of these issues, especially when rain season. Based on the issues explanation and evidences, this research aims to have problem solving in the development of environmental friendly settlement and residential area that will lead to sustainable residences and conservation area. This research purpose is to conduct experimental-based and explorative-based the development model of sustainable residences in the Kelurahan Citeureup, one of sub-district in the North Bandung, through Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) approach. This approach is not only study from architectural aspect, but also study from landscape and the utilities aspects. Meanwhile, this method of this study is to conduct morphology analysis to recognize the pattern and urban structure, also the water flow patterns in this area. The result then will be used to elaborate the strategic developing for environmental friendly settlement and residential area (sustainable residences, especially in water well-disposed so that to reduce the flood impact when rain season, the shortage rainfall when dry season, and to fulfill further the sustainability of water needs.Abstrak: Pertumbuhan pemukiman di Kawasan Bandung Utara (KBU) terus meningkat seiring dengan meningkatnya pertumbuhan ekonomi Kota Bandung sebagai Ibu Kota Jawa Barat. Dampak dari pertumbuhan ini adalah terjadinya alih fungsi lahan, yang sebelumnya merupakan lahan pertanian dan perkebunan, menjadi kawasan pemukiman. Sebagai Kawasan yang diandalkan menjadi daerah resapan air, kondisi KBU saat ini cukup mengkhawatirkan. Berdasarkan data yang dihimpun oleh WALHI, sekitar 70% lahan hijau yang berupa hutan lindung, lahan pertanian dan perkebunan telah beralih fungsi menjadi kawasan permukiman dan komersial. Dampaknya, dapat dilihat saat musim penghujan, dimana banjir terjadi hampir di sebagian wilayah Bandung Raya, mencakup Wilayah Cimahi, Bandung Selatan, Kabupaten Bandung, dan sekitarnya. Berdasarkan isu tersebut, diperlukan solusi terkait model pengembangan kawasan perumahan ramah lingkungan (perumahan berkelanjutan) yang mampu berperan sebagai kawasan konservasi air, selain sebagai tempat bermukim.Melalui pendekatan Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), penelitian ini mencoba mengeksplorasi model pengembangan perumahan berkelanjutan di Kelurahan Citeureup, salah satu kelurahan di Kawasan Bandung Utara, tidak hanya dari segi arsitektur bangunan, namun juga terkait lansekap dan utilitas kawasan. Metode yang dilakukan dalam penelitian ini adalah dengan melakukan analisis morfologi kawasan untuk memahami pola dan struktur ruang kawasan dan pola pergerakan aliran air. Hasil dari analisis tersebut selanjutnya digunakan untuk merumuskan strategi pengembangan kawasan perumahan yang ramah lingkungan (perumahan berkelanjutan) khususnya dalam hal ini ramah air, sehingga dapat turut mengurangi dampak banjir ketika musim penghujan, kekeringan di musim kemarau, serta untuk memenuhi kebutuhan air berkelanjutan di masa depan.

“Reduction in water consumption and environmental improvements inBarcelona through WSUDs (Water Sensitive Urban Design Systems”

<p><strong>PÉREZ CAMBRA, María del Mar</strong><br>Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) Barcelona School of Architecture<br>Department of Architectural Technology I (TA), Centre of Land Policy and Valuations (CPSV)<br>Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Candidate.<br>Av. Diagonal 649, 08028, Barcelona, Spain<br>Orcid : 0000-0003-2456-3302<br>E-mail: [email protected]<br>Telephone: +34 934012576</p><p><br><strong>Dr. MARTÍNEZ SANTAFÉ, Dolors</strong><br>Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) Barcelona School of Architecture<br>Department of Architectural Technology I (TA), Centre of Land Policy and Valuations (CPSV)<br>Professor<br>Av. Diagonal 649, 08028, Barcelona, Spain<br>Orcid : 0000-0001-8200-183X<br>E-mail: [email protected]<br>Telephone: +34 934016378</p><p><br><strong>Dr.ROCA CLADERA, Josep</strong><br>Technical University of Catalonia (UPC)<br>Department of Architectural Technology I(TA), Centre of Land Policy and Valuations (CPSV)<br>Full Professor<br>Av. Diagonal 649, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.<br>Orcid : 0000-0003-3970-6505<br>E-mail: [email protected]<br>Telephone: +34 934016396</p><p><br><strong>Key words: WSUDs; thermal behavior; water</strong></p><p><br><strong>“Reduction in water consumption and environmental improvements in Barcelona through WSUDs (Water Sensitive Urban Design Systems”</strong></p><p><br>The aim of this communication is showing the research done during the last years to try to reduce water consumption in Barcelona with the WSUDs (Water Urban Design Systems) while reducing surface temperatures with the chosen WSUDs and reducing rainwater runoff especially in the flood areas of the city.</p><p><br>Water sensitive urban design (WSUD) have been chosen in this research as an approach to planning and designing urban areas of Barcelona as a resource to reduce the damage urban areas cause to water cycle when we change natural pervious surfaces into impervious ones. Thus, while recuperating in some areas water cycle we can reduce rainwater runoff.<br>This same WSUDs used to reduce rainwater runoff can not only infiltrate and transport water but also to harvest it where it can be more efficient. Water harvesting and reducing he rainwater runoff in a floods area calculations for an area as an example will be shown in this communication. This descentralization of the water treatment will save energy by saving the transportation a long distance away to the water sewage treatment plants. It also avoids diffuse pollution of the runoff since water quality is not worsed due to its transportation to the depuration plant.</p><p><br>On the other hand, since we have climate change not all the materials and construction systems are the proper ones. This part is mainly experimental and has taken almost three years measuring surfaces temperatures of some WSUDs of Barcelona and treating its data to stablish a criteria to choose WSUDs which can help to reduce surface temperatures, even in some cases, underneath the environmental temperatures. It means we can produce a better thermal effect while planning and implementing the WSUDs in this case in Barcelona and in homoclimatic cities.</p><p><br>Therefore, with this WSUDs specific urbanistic micro-acupuncture we can improve some effects of climatic change such as: water scarcity, floods and heat island effect. This communication will focus and deep on it.</p>