Hydrology of Urban Environments

Illgen, Marc

doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199563562.003.0007

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Urban hydrologic processes are significantly different than the processes located outside of the city [32]. One of the key differences between the hydrology of urban environments and that of the surrounding landscape is the degree of surface perviousness.…”

Section: The Urban Hydrospherementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the United States, paved areas constitute twice the area of buildings [33]. Pavement significant inhibits soil permeability and subsequent infiltration, as infiltration performance is highly determined by pavement structure [32]. Without infiltration, rainwater in urban areas moves quickly across sealed surfaces and into a water-catchment system or a nearby watercourse.…”

Section: The Urban Hydrospherementioning

confidence: 99%

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The New Ecology of Vacancy: Rethinking Land Use in Shrinking Cities

Burkholder

2012

Sustainability

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Urban environments are in continual transition. Yet, as many cities continue to grow and develop in ways deemed typical or standard, these transitions can be difficult to acknowledge. Narratives of continued growth and permanence become accepted and expected while the understanding of urban dynamics becomes lost. In many parts of the world, the shrinking cities phenomenon has given rise to a new awareness of urban transition that provides a laboratory of new conditions at the intersection of urbanism and ecology. With property vacancy rates easily exceeding 50% in certain locations, cities in the American Rust Belt look more like successional woodlands than bustling metropolises, yet these cities still contain significant numbers of urban residents. A central question that arises from this phenomenon is: how can vacant land, through the provision of ecosystem services, become a resource as opposed to a liability? This paper looks to recent studies in urban ecology as a lens for understanding the land use potential of shrinking cities, while discussing unconventional solutions for sustainable development of urban land.

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Section: The Urban Hydrospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Urban Hydrospherementioning

confidence: 99%

The New Ecology of Vacancy: Rethinking Land Use in Shrinking Cities

Burkholder

2012

Sustainability

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“…Intensive land use is associated with drastic changes in vegetation cover and soil sealing, causing severe anomalies in the hydrological cycle (Schueler 1994;Douglas 2011;Illgen 2011). Urban catchments -with highly disturbed soils -are characterized by high proportions of impervious surfaces resulting in increased surface runoff, decreased infiltration and evapotranspiration (ET), and the presence of dense and efficient drainage systems (Booth & Jackson 1997;Burton & Pitt 2002;Burian & Pomeroy 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monetary value of urban green space as an ecosystem service provider: A case study of urban runoff management in Finland

Silvennoinen¹,

Taka²,

Yli‐Pelkonen³

et al. 2017

Ecosystem Services

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The predicted increase in the number of urban flood events can result in substantial monetary losses to society. These costs may be alleviated by preserving ecosystem services, such as urban runoff management. We studied the monetary value of this ecosystem service by applying the replacement cost method in six catchments with varying land-use intensities in two cities in Finland. The economic analysis was based on metric data of urban runoff generation, provided by automatic monitoring stations in the catchments. A hydrological model was applied to estimate evaporation from impervious surfaces, and to simulate runoff in the catchments. Our results suggest that leaving green space unconstructed results in significant monetary savings. The cost of managing runoff correlated with land-use intensity. The ecosystem service value (ESV) was generally higher in catchments with high land-use intensity, low proportion of green space, and high costs of runoff management. Depending on the degree of imperviousness, the ESV ranged from 90 000 -270 000 € ha -1 . Further, our results suggest that estimates of runoff generation and evaporation are key hydrological factors for assessing ESV. Our study demonstrates how the combination of field data and hydrological and monetary analyses can support regional planning in cold climates.

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Urban Biodiversity: Patterns, Processes and Implications for Conservation

Faeth

Saari

Bang

2012

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

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As the world becomes increasingly urbanised, more and more species either reside in cities, suburbs and exurbs or are influenced by their growth. On the bases of our literature survey, species richness and diversity of animals, especially vertebrate animals, and plants usually declines in cities. However, contrary to the prevailing notion that bird abundances usually increase in cities, studies reporting increases or decreases of bird abundances are about equal. The mechanisms underlying patterns of urban biodiversity are complex and not well‐understood. Explanations for the observed changes in species diversity and composition in cities focus on local processes involving species responses to local abiotic environmental factors and interactions with other species and regional processes, such as dispersal. Recently, metacommunity theory has been applied to urban habitats to explore the relative importance of local and regional processes. This theory also provides insights into how biodiversity can be maintained and promoted in urban areas. Key Concepts: Urbanisation creates highly fragmented, heterogeneous and altered environments that act as selective filters for urban organisms and species. Urbanisation is often associated with declines in animal and plant richness, abundance and diversity. Studies showing increases or decreases in urban bird abundances are about equal, contrary to conventional wisdom of increased bird abundances in cities. Various ecological concepts have been applied to explain urban biodiversity, including disturbance and productivity gradient hypotheses and island biogeography theory. Metacommunity theory has been used recently to ascertain relative contributions of local and regional processes to urban biodiversity. Understanding local and regional processes leads to better insights in conserving and promoting urban biodiversity. Conservation efforts depend on connections to nature; therefore, it is important to engage city‐dwellers with their urban biotas.

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Hydrology of Urban Environments

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

The New Ecology of Vacancy: Rethinking Land Use in Shrinking Cities

The New Ecology of Vacancy: Rethinking Land Use in Shrinking Cities

Monetary value of urban green space as an ecosystem service provider: A case study of urban runoff management in Finland

Urban Biodiversity: Patterns, Processes and Implications for Conservation

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