Title: Learning to Live with Water: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Techniques in Urban Water Resources Management
Abstract: Water resources are fundamental to the wide variety of the built environment and the rich diversity of ecosystems. Nevertheless, urbanization has extensively changed the water environment in urban areas, where flood risk is rising, groundwater aquifers are declining, water quality is reducing, and the amenity values of water places are degrading. In the light of the drive towards sustainable environmental management, environmentally-friendly approaches to manage water resources have been developed and promoted internationally, such as the techniques of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in Europe, which aim to mitigate the above problems. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to systematically examine the extent to which urban expansion has impacted on water environment, and to analyze the development strengths and limitations of SuDS. Several key points have emerged by the systematic review: (1) the water permeability of land surfaces greatly impacts the hydrological features of urban areas, (2) city development is effectively diversified by multi-functional water places, (3) SuDS, with the idea of multi-functionality, are beneficial to wildlife habitats, water quality, amenity values and flood prevention, and (4) the applicability of SuDS is largely dependent on the availability of space, such as the conditions of urban Taiwan. It is hoped that this paper will raise awareness that urban waters should serve multiple environmental and social purposes and thus help facilitate the sustainable management of urban water resources in Taiwan.
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-12-01
Language: en
Type: review
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot