Sustainability of Urban Infrastructures

Sustainability 2010, 2(9), 2950-2964; doi:10.3390/su2092950

Author

Marjana Šijanec Zavrl ^1,*  and Mine Tanac Zeren ²

¹

Building and Civil Engineering Institute ZRMK, Dimiceva 12, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

²

Faculty of Architecture, Dokuz Eylul University, Tınaztepe Campus Kurucesme, Buca, 35210 Alsancak, Izmir, Turkey

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 

Received: 27 July 2010 / Revised: 2 September 2010 / Accepted: 8 September 2010 / Published: 14 September 2010

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Constructions - Integrated Approach to Life-time Structural Engineering)

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Abstract 

The scope of the paper is to overview the different approaches for evaluation of urban infrastructure sustainability. In this context, urban infrastructure covers transportation, energy, water, sewage and information networks as well as waste management and blue-green infrastructure, in terms of both the supply and demand side. A common effort of partners in the European project “C8—Best Practice in Sustainable Urban Infrastructure”, developed under the Cooperation in Science and Technology program (COST), in brief COST C8, was focused on defining the methods, indicators and criteria for evaluation of sustainability, and resulted in a guidebook for decision-makers in local authorities. Here, the COST C8 matrix for simple sustainability assessment of urban infrastructure is applied to The Path (POT) case—a circular memorial and recreational park around the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The applicability and acceptance of the matrix in 43 other cases of sustainable urban infrastructure, collected in the COST C8 project, is presented and discussed. View Full-Text

Keywords: sustainability;  indicators;  urban infrastructures;  assessment;  matrix

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Identification and Induction of Human, Social, and Cultural Capitals through an Experimental Approach to Stormwater Management

Sustainability 2012, 4(8), 1669-1682; doi:10.3390/su4081669

Author 

Olivia Odom Green * , William D. Shuster

, Lee K. Rhea

, Ahjond S. Garmestani

 and Hale W. Thurston

National Risk Management Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 

Received: 26 June 2012 / Revised: 20 July 2012 / Accepted: 26 July 2012 / Published: 6 August 2012

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Regeneration and Sustainability)

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Abstract 

Decentralized stormwater management is based on the dispersal of stormwater management practices (SWMP) throughout a watershed to manage stormwater runoff volume and potentially restore natural hydrologic processes. This approach to stormwater management is increasingly popular but faces constraints related to land access and citizen engagement. We tested a novel method of environmental management through citizen-based stormwater management on suburban private land. After a nominal induction of human capital through an education campaign, two successive (2007, 2008) reverse auctions engaged residents to voluntarily bid on installation of SWMPs on their property. Cumulatively, 81 rain gardens and 165 rain barrels were installed on approximately one-third of the 350 eligible residential properties in the watershed, resulting in an estimated 360 m³increase in stormwater detention capacity. One surprising result was the abundance of zero dollar bids, indicating even a limited-effort human capital campaign was sufficient to enroll many participants. In addition, we used statistical methods to illustrate the significant role of social capital in forming clusters of adjacent properties that participated in bidding. This indicated that as participants shared their experiences, neighbors may have become more willing to trust the program and enroll. Significant agglomerations of participating properties may indicate a shift in neighborhood culture regarding stormwater management with positive implications for watershed health through the sustained induction of alternate capitals. View Full-Text

Keywords: urban stormwater management;  green infrastructure;  resilience;  human capital;  social capital;  cultural capital;  best management practices;  private property;  combined sewer overflow;  economic incentive

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The Portrayal of Natural Environment in the Evolution of the Ecological Public Health Paradigm

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2014, 11(1), 1005-1019; doi:10.3390/ijerph110101005

Author 

Christopher Coutts ^1,* , Annet Forkink ²

 and Jocelyn Weiner ¹

¹

Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Center for Demography and Population Health, Florida State University, 113 Collegiate Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA

²

Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Florida State University, 113 Collegiate Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 

Received: 5 November 2013 / Revised: 19 December 2013 / Accepted: 20 December 2013 / Published: 10 January 2014

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Benefits of Nature)

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Abstract 

This paper explores the conceptualization of the natural environment in an evolving ecological public health paradigm. The natural environment has long been recognized as essential to supporting life, health, and wellbeing. Our understanding of the relationship between the natural environment and health has steadily evolved from one of an undynamic environment to a more sophisticated understanding of ecological interactions. This evolution is reflected in a number of ecological public health models which demonstrate the many external and overlapping determinants of human health. Six models are presented here to demonstrate this evolution, each model reflecting an increasingly ecological appreciation for the fundamental role of the natural environment in supporting human health. We conclude that after decades of public health’s acceptance of the ecological paradigm, we are only now beginning to assemble knowledge of sophisticated ecological interdependencies and apply this knowledge to the conceptualization and study of the relationship between the natural environment and the determinants of human health. View Full-Text

Keywords: health;  nature;  natural environment;  green space;  green infrastructure;  urban planning;  built environment;  ecology

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Modelling the Hydraulic Behaviour of Growing Media with the Explicit Finite Volume Solution

Water 2015, 7(2), 568-591; doi:10.3390/w7020568

Author 

Marco Carbone * , Giuseppe Brunetti ^†

 and Patrizia Piro ^†

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calabria, Cubo 42B, Rende (CS) 87036, Italy

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 

Academic Editor: Ataur Rahman

Received: 1 December 2014 / Revised: 16 January 2015 / Accepted: 22 January 2015 / Published: 6 February 2015

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Abstract 

The increasing imperviousness of urban areas reduces the infiltration and evapotranspiration capacity of urban catchments and results in increased runoff. In the last few decades, several solutions and techniques have been proposed to prevent such impacts by restoring the hydrological cycle. A limiting factor in spreading the use of such systems is the lack of proper modelling tools for design, especially for the infiltration processes in a growing medium. In this research, a physically-based model, employing the explicit Finite Volume Method (FVM), is proposed for modelling infiltration into growing media. The model solves a modified version of the Richards equation using a formulation which takes into account the main characteristics of green infrastructure substrates. The proposed model was verified against the HYDRUS-1D software and the comparison of results confirmed the suitability of the proposed model for correctly describing the hydraulic behaviour of soil substrates. View Full-Text

Keywords: green infrastructures;  green roofs;  growing substrates;  modelling;  percolation

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Water 2015, 7(3), 993-1012; doi:10.3390/w7030993

A Mapping of Tools for Informing Water Sensitive Urban Design Planning Decisions—Questions, Aspects and Context Sensitivity

Sara Maria Lerer * , Karsten Arnbjerg-Nielsen

 and Peter Steen Mikkelsen

Department of Environmental Engineering (DTU Environment), Technical University of Denmark, Miljøvej, Building 113, Lyngby DK-2800, Denmark

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 

Academic Editor: Miklas Scholz

Received: 19 November 2014 / Revised: 13 February 2015 / Accepted: 25 February 2015 / Published: 11 March 2015

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Drainage Systems)

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Abstract 

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) poses new challenges for decision makers compared with traditional stormwater management, e.g., because WSUD offers a larger selection of measures and because many measures are multifunctional. These challenges have motivated the development of many decision support tools. This review shows that the tools differ in terms of the types of questions they can assist in answering. We identified three main groups: “How Much”-tools, “Where”-tools and “Which”-tools. The “How Much”-tools can further be grouped into tools quantifying hydraulic impacts, hydrologic impacts, water quality impacts, non-flow-related impacts and economic impacts. Additionally, the tools differ in terms of how many aspects of water they address, from those focused only on bio-physical aspects to those attempting to find the best WSUD based on multiple criteria. Finally, we suggest that variability among the tools can partly be explained by variability in local context including conditions such as type of existing stormwater systems, groundwater conditions and legislative frameworks.View Full-Text

Keywords: Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD);  sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS);  Low Impact Development (LID);  Best Management Practice (BMP);  Green Infrastructure (GI);  urban stormwater management;  decision support tool; decision support system;  aspects of water

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