Lowimpact Development An Integrated Design Approach

This thesis investigates sustainable storm water management in an alpine case study in the eastern part of Innsbruck. Firstly the focus lies on the ecological properties of concepts such as Low Impact Development (LID), Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) and Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) especially with regard to the site conditions in the study area. Through a literature research no specific impediments which would hinder an potential implementation could be detected. However there are still general obstacles that discourage a more intensive utilization. In the practical part the Urban Biophysical Environments & Technologies Simulator (UrbanBEATS), a dedicated software for the planning of sustainable storm water management, is used to detect suitable types and locations for the elements of sustainable storm water management in the study area. In a further step the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is applied in order to assess the hydrological performance in quantitative terms. The performance during five different storm events are recorded and show a peak runoff reduction up to 4.26% in the total system, a peak fooding reduction up to 20.28% and a fooding volume reduction up to 17.49%.

The manual introduces general audiences to designing landscapes for urban stormwater runoff -- a primary source of watershed pollution. The goal is to motivate awareness and implementation of LID in a wide cross-section of stakeholders, from property owners to municipal governments that regulate infrastructure development. The manual provides a holistic framework in which a novice homeowner and an experienced developer can each find an equally tranformative role to enact.

The book is an overview of the diversity of anthropogenic aquifer recharge (AAR) techniques that use aquifers to store and treat water. It focusses on the processes and the hydrogeological and geochemical factors that affect their performance. This book is written from an applied perspective with a focus of taking advantage of global historical experiences, both positive and negative, as a guide to future implementation. Most AAR techniques are now mature technologies in that they have been employed for some time, their scientific background is well understood, and their initial operational challenges and associated solutions have been identified. However, opportunities exist for improved implementation and some recently employed and potential future innovations are presented. AAR which includes managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a very important area of water resources management and there is no recent books that specifically and comprehensively addresses the subject.

In response to the increasing urbanization, advances in the science of urban hydrology have improved urban water system management, creating more livable cities in which public safety and health, as well as the environment, are protected. The ultimate goal of urban water management is to mimic the hydrological cycle prior to urbanization. On top of urbanization, climate change, which has been demonstrated to alter the hydrological cycle in all respects, has introduced additional challenges to managing urban water systems. To mitigate and adapt to urbanization under a changing climate, understanding key hydrologic components should expand to include complex issues brought forth by climate change. Thus, effective and efficient measures can be formulated. This Special Issue of Water presents a variety of research papers that span a range of spatial and temporal scales of relevance in different societies’ efforts in adapting to the eminent changes in climate and the continuous changes in the landscape. From mitigating water quality in permeable pavements and bioretention swales to understanding changes in groundwater recharge in large regions, this Special Issue examines the state-of-the-art in sustainable urban design for adaptation and resiliency.