Review: Improving the Impact of Plant Science on Urban Planning and Design

Buildings 2016, 6(4), 48; doi:10.3390/buildings6040048

Author

Peter C. Wootton-Beard ^1,* , Yangang Xing ²

, Raghavalu Thirumalai Durai Prabhakaran ³

, Paul Robson ¹

, Maurice Bosch ¹

, Judith M. Thornton ¹

, Graham A. Ormondroyd ^3,4

, Phil Jones ²

 and Iain Donnison ¹

¹

IBERS, Aberystwyth University, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EB, UK

²

Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK

³

The Biocomposites Centre, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK

⁴

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 

Academic Editor: Maibritt Pedersen Zari

Received: 19 August 2016 / Revised: 17 October 2016 / Accepted: 8 November 2016 / Published: 16 November 2016

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetics in Sustainable Architectural and Urban Design)

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Abstract 

Urban planning is a vital process in determining the functionality of future cities. It is predicted that at least two thirds of the world’s citizens will reside in towns and cities by the middle of this century, up from one third in the middle of the previous century. Not only is it essential to provide space for work and dwelling, but also for their well-being. Well-being is inextricably linked with the surrounding environment, and natural landscapes have a potent positive effect. For this reason, the inclusion and management of urban green infrastructure has become a topic of increasing scientific interest. Elements of this infrastructure, including green roofs and façades are of growing importance to operators in each stage of the planning, design and construction process in urban areas. Currently, there is a strong recognition that “green is good”. Despite the positive recognition of urban greenery, and the concerted efforts to include more of it in cities, greater scientific attention is needed to better understand its role in the urban environment. For example, many solutions are cleverly engineered without giving sufficient consideration to the biology of the vegetation that is used. This review contends that whilst “green is good” is a positive mantra to promote the inclusion of urban greenery, there is a significant opportunity to increase the contribution of plant science to the process of urban planning through both green infrastructure, and biomimicry. View Full-Text

Keywords: biomimicry;  plants;  architecture;  future cities;  urban planning

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Post Construction Green Infrastructure Performance Monitoring Parameters and Their Functional Components

Environments 2017, 4(1), 2; doi:10.3390/environments4010002

Author

Thewodros K. Geberemariam

Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, P.O. Box 23195 Brooklyn, New York, NY 11202, USA

Academic Editors: Yu-Pin Lin, Dirk S. Schmeller, Wei-Cheng Lo and Wan-Yu Lien

Received: 14 September 2016 / Revised: 18 November 2016 / Accepted: 19 December 2016 / Published: 22 December 2016

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consideration of Ecosystem Services and Function for Sustainable Water Use)

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Abstract 

Drainage system infrastructures in most urbanized cities have reached or exceeded their design life cycle and are characterized by running with inadequate capacity. These highly degraded infrastructures are already overwhelmed and continued to impose a significant challenge to the quality of water and ecological systems. With predicted urban growth and climate change the situation is only going to get worse. As a result, municipalities are increasingly considering the concept of retrofitting existing stormwater drainage systems with green infrastructure practices as the first and an important step to reduce stormwater runoff volume and pollutant load inputs into combined sewer systems (CSO) and wastewater facilities. Green infrastructure practices include an open green space that can absorb stormwater runoff, ranging from small-scale naturally existing pocket of lands, right-of-way bioswales, and trees planted along the sidewalk as well as large-scale public parks. Despite the growing municipalities’ interest to retrofit existing stormwater drainage systems with green infrastructure, few studies and relevant information are available on their performance and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, this paper aims to help professionals learn about and become familiar with green infrastructure, decrease implementation barriers, and provide guidance for monitoring green infrastructure using the combination of survey questionnaires, meta-narrative and systematic literature review techniques.View Full-Text

Keywords: green infrastructure;  functional components;  monitoring;  parameters;  performance;  runoff;  uncertainty

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Evolutionary and Holistic Assessment of Green-Grey Infrastructure for CSO Reduction

Water 2016, 8(9), 402; doi:10.3390/w8090402

Author

Alida Alves ^1,* , Arlex Sanchez ¹

, Zoran Vojinovic ¹

, Solomon Seyoum ²

, Mukand Babel ³

 and Damir Brdjanovic ¹

¹

Environmental Engineering and Water Technology Department, UNESCO-IHE, Westvest 7, 2611 AX Delft, The Netherlands

²

Hydroinformatics and Knowledge Management Department, UNESCO-IHE, Westvest 7, 2611 AX Delft, The Netherlands

³

School of Engineering and Technology, AIT Asian Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 

Academic Editor: Ataur Rahman

Received: 11 August 2016 / Revised: 5 September 2016 / Accepted: 9 September 2016 / Published: 15 September 2016

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydroinformatics and Urban Water Systems)

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Abstract 

Recent research suggests future alterations in rainfall patterns due to climate variability, affecting public safety and health in urban areas. Urban growth, one of the main drivers of change in the current century, will also affect these conditions. Traditional drainage approaches using grey infrastructure offer low adaptation to an uncertain future. New methodologies of stormwater management focus on decentralized approaches in a long-term planning framework, including the use of Green Infrastructure (GI). This work presents a novel methodology to select, evaluate, and place different green-grey practices (or measures) for retrofitting urban drainage systems. The methodology uses a hydrodynamic model and multi-objective optimization to design solutions at a watershed level. The method proposed in this study was applied in a highly urbanized watershed to evaluate the effect of these measures on Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO) quantity. This approach produced promising results and may become a useful tool for planning and decision making of drainage systems. View Full-Text

Keywords: urban drainage;  green-grey infrastructure;  hydrodynamic models;  multi-objective optimization

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Phosphorus Retention in Stormwater Control Structures across Streamflow in Urban and Suburban Watersheds

Water 2016, 8(9), 390; doi:10.3390/w8090390

Author

Shuiwang Duan ^1,* , Tamara Newcomer-Johnson ^1,2

, Paul Mayer ³

 and Sujay Kaushal ¹

¹

Department of Geology and Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

²

Systems Exposure Division, Ecosystem Integrity Branch, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA

³

Western Ecology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Lab, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 

Academic Editor: Andreas N. Angelakis

Received: 23 May 2016 / Revised: 11 August 2016 / Accepted: 29 August 2016 / Published: 9 September 2016

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use, Climate, and Water Resources)

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Abstract 

Recent studies have shown that stormwater control measures (SCMs) are less effective at retaining phosphorus (P) than nitrogen. We compared P retention between two urban/suburban SCMs and their adjacent free-flowing stream reaches at the Baltimore Long-Term Ecological Study (LTER) site, and examined changes in P retention in SCMs across flow conditions. Results show that, when compared with free-flowing stream reaches, the SCMs had significantly lower dissolved oxygen (%DO) and higher P concentrations, as well as lower mean areal retention rates and retention efficiencies of particulate P (PP). In all the SCMs, concentrations of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) consistently exhibited inverse correlations with %DO that was lower during summer base flows. Particulate phosphorus (PP) concentrations peaked during spring high flow period in both streams and in-line pond/SCMs, but they were also higher during summer base flows in suburban/urban SCMs. Meanwhile, PP areal retention rates and retention efficiencies of the SCMs changed from positive (indicating retention) during high flows to negative (indicating release) during low flows, while such changes across flow were not observed in free-flowing stream reaches. We attribute the changing roles of SCMs from a PP sink to a PP source to changes in SCM hydrologic mass balances, physical sedimentation and biogeochemical mobilization across flows. This study demonstrates that in suburban/urban SCMs, P retained during high flow events can be released during low flows. Cultivation of macrophytes and/or frequent sediment dredging may provide potential solutions to retaining both P and nitrogen in urban SCMs. View Full-Text

Keywords: phosphorus;  stormwater control measures;  urbanization;  nutrient management;  green infrastructure

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