Author(s): Pepe Puchol-Salort; Darren Beriro; Stanislava Boskovic; Barnaby Dobson; Vladimir Krivtsov; Andrew Marchant; Ana Mijic

Linked Author(s): Vladimir Krivtsov

Keywords: Water quality; Urban development; Model integration; Pollution risk; Contaminated runoff

Abstract: A well-developed Green and Blue-Green Infrastructure (GI/BGI) network provides a range of ecosystem services, which are defined as all benefits provided to humans from the natural environment. These might include improvements in water and air quality, flood risk mitigation, amenity and biodiversity values, as well as positive influences on the local residents’ wellbeing and mental health [1]. Detailed consideration of GI/BGI is an indispensable prerequisite for sustainable urban planning, and should therefore be part of any new urban development design process [2]. This paper applies the recently proposed Urban Planning Sustainability Framework (UPSUF) [3] to the case study of Enfield borough in London, providing a series of design options and sustainability evaluation. A number of scenarios (including pre-development baseline, predominant use of grey infrastructure, predominant use of BGI, and combined use of grey and green/blue-green infrastructure) have been considered to assess the variation of the projected environmental impacts. Following the UPSUF/CityPlan framework within the planning system process facilitated the search for a set of optimised designs that include a combination of grey and BGI techniques. The overall approach is consistent with the NBS and integrated water management framework. Small and medium scale details of specific architectural, infrastructural and logistical changes are discussed with local stakeholders, and the final solutions will, therefore, be co-designed using a participatory approach. BGR_Calc (Brownfield Ground Risk Calculator and Groundscreen) will be used to assess potential complications related to the legacy of previous land use. Stormwater management, enhanced flood resilience, and improvements in runoff and river water quality are among the main goals of this approach. A key part of this process will be the application of the CityWat model, which has been successfully used for larger scale analysis of the London’s water system [4]. The discussion will address limitations of this work and its implications, summarise lessons learned, provide recommendations for further studies, and discuss the relevance of this study for further developments of the Blue-Green Cities conceptual framework. References [1] CIRIA. Blue-green infrastructure - perspectives on planning, evaluation and collaboration. London: CIRIA C780a; 2019. [2] O'Donnell E, Thorne C, Ahilan S, Arthur S, Birkinshaw S, Butler D, et al. The blue-green path to urban flood resilience. Blue-Green Systems. 2020;2(1):28-45. [3] Puchol-Salort P, O’Keeffe J, van Reeuwijk M, Mijic A. An urban planning sustainability framework: Systems approach to blue green urban design. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2021;66:102677. [4] Dobson B, Mijic A. Protecting rivers by integrating supply-wastewater infrastructure planning and coordinating operational decisions. Environmental Research Letters. 2020;15(11):114025.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC2521711920221857

Year: 2022