A Multicriteria Planning Framework to Locate and Select Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) in Consolidated Urban Areas

Abstract

The implementation of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) is increasing due to their advantages, which transcend runoff control. As a result, it is important to find the appropriate SUDS locations to maximize the benefits for the watershed. This study develops a multiscale methodology for consolidated urban areas that allows the analysis of environmental, social, and economic aspects of SUDS implementation according to multiple objectives (i.e., runoff management, water quality improvements, and amenity generation). This methodology includes three scales: (a) citywide, (b) local, and (c) microscale. The citywide scale involves the definition of objectives through workshops with the participation of the main stakeholders, and the development of spatial analyses to identify (1) priority urban drainage sub-catchments: areas that need intervention, and (2) strategic urban drainage sub-catchments: zones with the opportunity to integrate SUDS due the presence of natural elements or future urban redevelopment plans. At a local scale, prospective areas are analyzed to establish the potential of SUDS implementation. Microscale comprises the use of the results from the previous scales to identify the best SUDS placement. In the latter scale, the SUDS types and treatment trains are selected. The methodology was applied to the city of Bogotá (Colombia) with a population of nearly seven million inhabitants living in an area of approximately 400 km2. Results include: (a) The identification of priority urban drainage sub-catchments, where the implementation of SUDS could bring greater benefits; (b) the determination of strategic urban drainage sub-catchments considering Bogotá’s future urban redevelopment plans, and green and blue-green corridors; and (c) the evaluation of SUDS suitability for public and private areas. We found that the most suitable SUDS types for public areas in Bogotá are tree boxes, cisterns, bioretention zones, green swales, extended dry detention basins, and infiltration trenches, while for private residential areas they are rain barrels, tree boxes, green roofs, and green swales.

Land-Use and Legislation-Based Methodology for the Implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems in the Semi-Arid Region of Brazil

“…This happens because the percentage of these areas in S1 ( Figure 2) is not enough for changing the "severe flooding susceptibility classification" of the analysed blocks. In agreement with other studies [53,64], our results confirm that SuDS effectiveness will depend on the basin land-use configuration and corresponding positioning choice. Regarding the future scenario (S2), the number of public spaces is more significant than in S1 which means that if green roofs will be applied in more areas, then, results will be better for this case.…”

“…This generates fewer investments with the retrofitting of structures and increase of their longevity [63]. These results show that linking urban planning with water resources in advance will generate less flooding produced with imperviousness [64]. It is shown that SuDS should be introduced in the city, as a way to compensate current and future imperviousness rates.…”

Decision Criteria for the Development of Stormwater Management Systems in Poland

“…Implementation of the developed decision support model in the investment process will enable an unbiased comparison of a conventional stormwater management system with alternative solutions that include rainwater harvesting [76,77], underground and surface infiltration of stormwater into the soil [78,79] and its retention [80][81][82]. Due to the significant number of available devices ( Figure 5) and their possible combinations, both with each other and with stormwater pre-treatment facilities, the decision process must only take into account the options that are technically justified under the given circumstances.…”

Research on the Allocation of Flood Drainage Rights of the Sunan Canal Based on a Bi-level Multi-Objective Programming Model

“…At present, flood control dispatching is mainly considered from the perspective of hydrology, without considering the impact of flood control on economy, society, and environment [43][44][45]. From the perspective of management, a decision support system based on watersheds can be combined with a socio-economic analysis to conduct flood control operation [46].…”