A SUDS Planning Decision Support Tool to Maximize Ecosystem Services

Abstract

In the past years, alternative drainage approaches have emerged, such as Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), to prevent run-off and flooding impacts on the most vulnerable zones of the cities. These systems not only provide the benefit of water regulation but also promote other types of ecosystem services. Several studies have developed optimization tools to assist SUDS selection, location, and design. However, they do not consider a comprehensive set of ecosystem services (e.g., provision, regulation, cultural, and support services). This research proposes a flexible and adaptable methodology to incorporate SUDS in different stages of urban projects using a multi-objective optimization technique to minimize run-off, maximize ecosystem services and minimize cost. The methodology comprises four phases: (1) the preliminary analysis of ecosystem services potentially generated by each SUDS type, (2) the priority and opportunity index quantification, (3) the physical feasibility analysis, and (4) the multi-objective optimization tool implementation. The methodology was successfully applied to three different urban areas of Bogotá city (Colombia). Results evidence that the interaction of the budget constraints and the available area restrict the potential benefits of SUDS implementation. These results are helpful to support different urban planning stages.

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Inputs for Planning the Implementation of Nature-based Solutions in Urban Contexts

“…Next, priority and opportunity indices assess the needs of ecosystem services and their potential to be supported in the urban area. The ecosystem services included those identified by Uribe-Aguado et al (2022). Habitat for species is also analyzed given its relevance in a Water Sensitive Urban Design framework, considering The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) classification (TEEB, 2010).…”

“…The criteria are normalized (Heckert and Rosan, 2016;Uribe-Aguado et al, 2022) and aggregated according to specific weights to obtain the priority and opportunity indices per cell. For example, to calculate a priority value for the provision category, the normalized NDVI values, average precipitation and potential evapotranspiration ratio in the dry months, and well density is aggregated according to the relative importance given to the criteria and aspects by the experts.…”