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A spatial planning-support system for generating decentralised urban stormwater management schemes
Peter M Bach1, Martijn Kuller2, David T McCarthy3
1Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology (Eawag), Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Monash Infrastructure Research Institute, Civil Engineering Department, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
The Science of the Total Environment
|June 3, 2020
Summary
Urban Biophysical Environments and Technologies Simulator (UrbanBEATS) integrates urban planning with stormwater management for better Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD). It generates feasible WSUD infrastructure options, matching real-world choices in a Melbourne case study.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Urban Planning
- Hydrology
Background:
- Current Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) models are limited, being either too technical or too simplistic.
- Existing models fail to integrate urban planning and stakeholder preferences, hindering effective WSUD implementation.
- A need exists for a comprehensive tool to support the design and planning of WSUD in diverse urban settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and test the Urban Biophysical Environments and Technologies Simulator (UrbanBEATS) and its WSUD Planning Module.
- To demonstrate UrbanBEATS' capability in generating feasible stormwater management and harvesting infrastructure options.
- To validate the model's performance against real-world WSUD infrastructure choices.
Main Methods:
- Development of the UrbanBEATS WSUD Planning Module, integrating spatial analysis, infrastructure design, preference elicitation, and Monte Carlo simulations.
- Application of UrbanBEATS to a greenfield development case study in Melbourne, Australia.
- Analysis of generated WSUD options and comparison with actual infrastructure decisions.
Main Results:
- UrbanBEATS successfully generated a variety of feasible stormwater management and harvesting infrastructure options.
- The model's generated WSUD systems, including technology types, sizes, and locations, were comparable to those chosen for the real-world case study.
- The study confirmed UrbanBEATS' potential to support practical WSUD planning and design.
Conclusions:
- UrbanBEATS provides a robust framework for integrating urban planning and WSUD, addressing limitations of current models.
- The WSUD Planning Module effectively generates diverse and practical infrastructure solutions for both greenfield and existing urban environments.
- UrbanBEATS can serve as a valuable tool for stakeholders in designing and implementing effective Water Sensitive Urban Design.
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