Title: A New Paradigm of Sustainable Urban Drainage and Water Management
Abstract: The current paradigm of urban water, stormwater and wastewater management and related infrastructure is unsustainable in most medium and large cities. It leaves the water resources damaged by various water quality, habitat and flow stresses, it results in water wasting and threatens the use of resources by the future generations. The current water/ stormwater/wastewater management infrastructure is not resilient to extreme events such as flooding or droughts that are expected to increase as a result of global warming. A new fifth paradigm, emerging from past successes and failures of the current and previous paradigms of controlling urban pollution and floods, offers a promise of adequate amounts of clean water for all beneficial uses. This emerging paradigm is based on the premise that urban waters are the lifeline of cities and the focus of the movement towards more sustainable “green” cities. The concepts of the new sustainable urban water management systems and the triple bottom line (TBL) criteria, by which their performance will be judged, are summarized and outlined. The paradigm considers microscale green development concepts and links them with macroscale watershed management, water/stormwater/wastewater infrastructures and landscape preserving or mimicking nature. Urban water management of the future ecocities may be based on implementing interconnected semiautonomous water management clusters, requiring less energy for pumping, heating and cooling. Macroscale TBL measures of sustainability must be considered. The new systems will combine sustainable infrastructure and ecologically and hydrologically functioning landscape. Significant energy reduction of green house emissions may be achieved.
Publication Year: 2008
Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 4
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