Green and grey infrastructures approaches in flood reduction
- 14 October 2019
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Emerald in International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment
- Vol. 10 (5), 343-362
- https://doi.org/10.1108/ijdrbe-03-2019-0010
Abstract
This paper aims to advance the idea of sustainable flood reduction. Flood reduction through the use of the drainage system is considered an unsustainable approach that decreases the use of water. In contrast, the Water Sensitive City is a sustainable concept aimed at increasing the value of water for human needs and reduce flooding. The current approach of relying on drainage systems is ineffective and must be combined with green infrastructures to reduce flooding. Green infrastructures can increase infiltration rates or facilitate rain harvesting. The study developed four scenarios that combine green and grey infrastructures and used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to select the most effective scenario based on the remaining amount of flood volume in every scenario. Green infrastructures that are related to increased infiltration and rain-harvesting instruments reduced flooding by 22.3 and 27.7 per cent, respectively. Furthermore, a combination of the two types of green infrastructures reduced flooding up to 45.5 per cent. Conversely, applying only grey infrastructures (by increasing drainage capacity) to reduce the flooding to zero is unfeasible, as this requires more than double the current capacity. Therefore, a combination of green and grey infrastructures can significantly reduce flooding in a water sensitive and feasible manner. Applying a combination of green and grey infrastructures is a new and effective approach to reduce flooding in the Kedurus Catchment Area.Keywords
This publication has 25 references indexed in Scilit:
- Water in the city: Green open spaces, land use planning and flood management – An Australian case studyLand Use Policy, 2017
- Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to model ecosystem services: A systematic reviewJournal of Hydrology, 2016
- Dredging versus hedging: Comparing hard infrastructure to ecosystem-based adaptation to floodingEcological Economics, 2016
- A strategy-based framework for assessing the flood resilience of cities – A Hamburg case studyPlanning Theory & Practice, 2015
- Managing complexity in Australian urban water governance: Transitioning Sydney to a water sensitive cityFutures, 2014
- Living with flood risk/The more we know, the more we know we don't know: Reflections on a decade of planning, flood risk management and false precision/Searching for resilience or building social capacities for flood risks?/Participatory floodplain management: Lessons from Bangladesh/Planning and retrofitting for floods: Insights from Australia/Neighbourhood design considerations in flood risk management/Flood risk management – Challenges to the effective implementation of a paradigm shiftPlanning Theory & Practice, 2013
- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Catchment Modelling with Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) ModelPublished by IntechOpen ,2012
- Challenges in integrating the concept of ecosystem services and values in landscape planning, management and decision makingEcological Complexity, 2010
- The water sensitive city: principles for practiceWater Science & Technology, 2009
- Impervious Surface Coverage: The Emergence of a Key Environmental IndicatorJournal of the American Planning Association, 1996