Stormwater Utilities: A Sustainable Answer to Many Questions

Novaes, Carlos; Marques, Rui Cunha

doi:10.3390/su14106179

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…On the other hand, from an institutional point of view, while sustainability is a broad concept, dependent on the alignment between actors, that adapts to different contexts, CE, when compared to linear economy, has a greater responsibility and emphasis on governments, regulators, and companies with a focus on economic and environmental benefits, prioritizing financial advantages for companies and decreased resource consumption and pollution for the environment [42]. The CE requires the alignment of actors around policies, institutions, and regulations that support it, and thus its application, more than allowing the balance of resources with efficiency, must exceed the limits of the principles of economics and thermodynamics and take into account the environmental and social aspects, present in the approach to sustainability of the planet, of which the CE is part or is intended to be part [43].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Rainwater and Stormwater Part of the Urban CE Efficiency?

Novaes

Marques

2023

Sustainability

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Circular economy (CE) means efficient resource use. It is a matter of better available resource management. Understanding the characteristics, potential, use advantages and disadvantages, and management systems, in each context, is the basis to construct a feasible CE framework to deal with climate change and economic scarcity challenges. Urban stormwater has potential importance in CE when addressed as a useful resource rather than as waste. Its use can replace part of the water supply (reduce principle), brought from distant sources using energy-consuming and emission-producing systems. Thus, it can be a source of energy savings and emission reduction since stormwater can be used and stored near the place where rainwater falls or infiltrates to supply groundwater (reuse principle). Urban agriculture can also gain benefits by using, e.g., green infrastructures (GIs) (recycling principle). The main gap still lies in the implementation of the efficiency mentality, reducing expenses and consequently improving revenues, profits, and environment issues, such as emissions. It is a big paradigm shift. The creation of policies, institutions, and regulations aligned with each other, together with urban planning and water cycle efficiency, from a CE perspective is fundamental. Urban stormwater as a CE component is a moving paradigm shift based on a change in mindset.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Rainwater and Stormwater Part of the Urban CE Efficiency?

Novaes

Marques

2023

Sustainability

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“…In Germany, stormwater management fees have been introduced in several cities since the 1990s, based on the polluter pays principle, taking into account the impervious area (Novaes & Marques, 2022). Dresden introduced the imperviousness fee based on a property's actual imperviousness in 1998, as one of the first cities in Germany (Ehrenfried et al, 2018).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fee for Reducing Natural Field Retention as an Instrument of Sustainable Public Finance

Sygut

2023

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Theoretical background: Active national fiscal policy is an important determinant of sustainable development. Poland falls below the water security level, which is why natural retention is a particularly important issue, as the poverty of societies begins with a lack of access to water. This also poses a challenge for public finance, which should encourage specific behaviors. As of 1 January 2018, a fee for the reduction of natural land retention is levied in Poland. Purpose of the article: The aim of the article is to analyze and evaluate the fee for reducing natural field retention as an instrument of sustainable public finance and to assess its fiscal efficiency in terms of its ability to raise public revenue, in particular the revenue of municipalities on the example of cities with county rights in the Silesian Voivodeship. Research methods: The paper draws on literature reviews and the conducted empirical research. Data were collected using the direct method via access to public information. First, an analysis was carried out on the amount of revenue generated from the fee for reducing natural field retention, constituting the income of the State Water Holding – Polish Waters. Subsequently, an analysis was made on the amount of revenue generated from the fee for reducing natural field retention in municipalities with county rights in the Silesian Voivodeship. The study covered the years 2018–2022, i.e. from the introduction of the fee until the last year for which the data are available. Main findings: The fee for reducing natural field retention is a sustainable public finance instrument designed to shape attitudes and influence behavior. Although levying a fee for reducing natural field retention does not solve the problem of insufficient retention, it encourages discussion and implementation of measures to improve it. The mandatory fee is intended to discourage the construction of impervious surfaces and, at the same time, encourage property owners to incorporate retention systems into their construction plans to counteract the lowering of groundwater levels. It is of great importance, not in an economic or fiscal sense (public revenue), but rather in a social sense, by raising public awareness of the problem of natural retention.

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“…However, in many countries, construction and maintenance funding is insufficient, limiting wider implementation of urban green infrastructure [33]. To ensure the normal operations of urban green infrastructure, various developed countries (e.g., the United States, Germany, Australia and France) have established stormwater utility fees to supplement urban green infrastructure's construction and maintenance [34][35][36][37]. However, for many developing countries, such as China, questions remain about the suitability of stormwater payments as a form of funding for public support [38,39].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Citizen Willingness to Pay for the Implementation of Urban Green Infrastructure in the Pilot Sponge Cities in China

Zhang

Han

Qiao

et al. 2023

Forests

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Urban green infrastructure has been widely used to in cities to solve stormwater problems caused by extreme weather events and urbanization around the world. However, the lack of a long-term funding mechanism for performing urban green infrastructure’s functions has limited wider implementation. Factors influencing citizen attitudes and willingness to pay for urban green infrastructure vary from city to city. This study estimated the public’s willingness to pay for urban green infrastructure, as well as compared the selected influencing factors of willingness to pay in different Chinese pilot sponge cities. The results show that 60% to 75% of all respondents in the cities were willing to support the implementation of urban green infrastructure in sponge cities, with those most willing to pay around 0–5 RMB/month (0–0.72 USD/month). The respondents’ educational level was a significant influencing factor for their willingness to pay in all six cities, but age, gender and family monthly income correlated differently with respondents’ willingness to pay in different cities. Previous knowledge of the sponge city concept and sponge city construction in the community were not significantly correlated with residents’ willingness to pay. We conclude that local governments in China need to provide more information to the general public about the multiple ecosystem services, e.g., educational and recreational benefits, that urban green infrastructure can provide. In doing so, it will help a shift to urban green infrastructure as the solution to dealing with urban stormwater problems.

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Stormwater Utilities: A Sustainable Answer to Many Questions

Cited by 5 publications

References 22 publications

Are Rainwater and Stormwater Part of the Urban CE Efficiency?

Are Rainwater and Stormwater Part of the Urban CE Efficiency?

Fee for Reducing Natural Field Retention as an Instrument of Sustainable Public Finance

Citizen Willingness to Pay for the Implementation of Urban Green Infrastructure in the Pilot Sponge Cities in China

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