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Water
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Challenges and Sustainability of Water Sensitive Cities
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Challenges and Sustainability of Water Sensitive Cities

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 8181

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Brigitte Helmreich

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Am Coulombwall 3, 85748 Garching, Germany
Interests: urban water balance; stormwater runoff pollutants; water sensitive cities; development and evaluation of stormwater treatment systems; rainwater harvesting systems; multifunctional areas; stormwater management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The consequences of climate change with more extreme weather events such as floods, heatwaves, increasing periods of drought, and more frequent and intense storm events are under consideration worldwide. These negative effects are especially enhanced in fast-growing urban areas where large areas of impervious surfaces and buildings have replaced vegetation and natural soil, thereby disturbing regulatory ecosystem functions such as drainage, filtration and evapotranspiration. Hence, efforts are being made to maintain the natural local water balance and to adapt to climate change in urban areas with the help of decentralized stormwater management. Measures or tools to enable water sensitive cities such as green roofs, facade greening, tree pits, infiltration swales, multifunctional areas, emergency waterways, and other nature-based solutions are under consideration. However, there are many open questions and discussions about the sustainability of many of these tools, not only from a hydraulic point of view, but also regarding chemical and microbial pollution including accumulation, emissions and retention, as well as the removal, disposal or recycling of contaminated materials. Additionally, reliable modeling approaches about the benefits of these tools are also fundamental. This special issue of Water will focus on measures and tools for enabling water sensitive cities, their sustainability, associated challenges and opportunities, and role in maintaining the local water balance and climate adaptation.

The special edition will consider:

  • Challenges of water sensitive cities
  • Investigations (lab-scale, pilot-scale and technical-scale) on the measures to enable water sensitive cities
  • Modeling the water balance at the level of urban neighborhoods or individual examples
  • Build-up and wash-off models or experimental investigations for pollutants in stormwater runoff
  • Lab-scale, pilot-scale and long-term experience with pollution (chemical or microbial) contamination or/and removal;
  • Impact of decentralized stormwater management on urban water balance
  • Analyses about the role of decentralized stormwater management for climate adaption in urban areas
  • Investigation concerning the sustainability of measures enabling water sensitive cities

Prof. Dr. Brigitte Helmreich
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • water balance
  • water sensitive cities
  • stormwater runoff pollution
  • decentralized treatment
  • stormwater runoff models
  • build-up and wash-off models
  • environmental risk assessment
  • climate adaptation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2761 KiB  
Article
Carbon Accounting and Carbon Emission Reduction Potential Analysis of Sponge Cities Based on Life Cycle Assessment
by Zhonghui Zhao, Changqi Liu, Hao Xie, Yang Li, Chong Zhu and Meijing Liu
Water 2023, 15(20), 3565; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15203565 - 12 Oct 2023
Viewed by 976
Abstract
In recent years, China has been vigorously carrying out the construction and development of a sponge city. To prove that the material and energy consumption involved in the implementation of a sponge city is much less than that of the integrated urban drainage [...] Read more.
In recent years, China has been vigorously carrying out the construction and development of a sponge city. To prove that the material and energy consumption involved in the implementation of a sponge city is much less than that of the integrated urban drainage system (IUDS) in addition to saved energy and reduced carbon in the sponge city, it was important to calculate the corresponding carbon source and sink and analyze its key influence factors. The emission factor method was used to calculate carbon emissions. In view of this, based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines and life cycle assessment (LCA), this research established a systematic accounting method for carbon emissions from the IUDS and the sponge city, which focused on improving the calculation method of the carbon sink stage. A case study was conducted in Beijing, China, and the carbon emission reduction effect of the construction of the sponge city was discussed. The results showed that the carbon emission reduction potential (CRP) of sponge facilities in this project for 50 years was 612.45 tons of CO2 equivalent after the renovation. Compared with IUDS, sponge city construction had a positive effect on carbon emission reduction and reduced carbon emissions by 87.08% on average. For the IUDS and the sponge city, the stormwater pipe network had the largest contribution of carbon emission, and its material, transportation, pipeline laying, and maintenance of stormwater pipe networks had important influences. Morris global analysis method was used to analyze the sensitivity of LCA results and obtained that the influence degree of sensitivity factors on carbon emissions in the life cycle was in the order of annual rainfall > carbon sequestration rate of green space > high-density polyethylene (HDPE) > transport distance > fertilization and insecticide. This study can provide a positive contribution to the construction of a sponge city and planning the low-carbon development of the city in the future in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Sustainability of Water Sensitive Cities)
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15 pages, 7666 KiB  
Article
Stormwater Tree Pits for Decentralized Retention of Heavy Rainfall
by Nils Siering and Helmut Grüning
Water 2023, 15(16), 2987; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15162987 - 18 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1185
Abstract
Stormwater tree pits with storage elements enable the irrigation of urban trees and can potentially act as decentralized rainwater retention basins. This paper mainly focuses on analyzing this potential. Field tests were conducted to investigate the irrigation behavior and the storage effect of [...] Read more.
Stormwater tree pits with storage elements enable the irrigation of urban trees and can potentially act as decentralized rainwater retention basins. This paper mainly focuses on analyzing this potential. Field tests were conducted to investigate the irrigation behavior and the storage effect of a storm water tree pit system using Perl hoses as irrigation elements over a period of two years. The rainfall, storage volumes, and soil moisture within the employed planting pit were measured. With the help of system modeling, the retention ability of the storm water tree pit system was analyzed. The available storage volume was sufficient to irrigate trees for several days. During the measurement period, about 15% of the inflowing rainwater was fed to the root zone of the tree. With practical storage volumes of 200 to 300 m3/ha, a remarkable amount of water from heavy rainfall could be completely stored, thus significantly reducing the risk of flooding. The retention effect and irrigation behavior largely depend on the soil conditions and the technical possibilities of the equipment supplying the root area (in this case, Perl hoses). Further investigations are required to determine the influence on the growth conditions of trees and optimize of the system for discharge into the root zone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Sustainability of Water Sensitive Cities)
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34 pages, 1680 KiB  
Article
Parameterization for Modeling Blue–Green Infrastructures in Urban Settings Using SWMM-UrbanEVA
by Birgitta Hörnschemeyer, Malte Henrichs, Ulrich Dittmer and Mathias Uhl
Water 2023, 15(15), 2840; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152840 - 06 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1886
Abstract
Blue–green infrastructures (BGI) play an important role in addressing contemporary challenges posed by urbanization, climate change, and demographic shifts. This study focuses on the parameterization of BGI within hydrological models, specifically emphasizing the Low Impact Development (LID) module of the Storm Water Management [...] Read more.
Blue–green infrastructures (BGI) play an important role in addressing contemporary challenges posed by urbanization, climate change, and demographic shifts. This study focuses on the parameterization of BGI within hydrological models, specifically emphasizing the Low Impact Development (LID) module of the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), supplemented by the SWMM-UrbanEVA evapotranspiration model. Employing a systematic approach, a transferable framework is developed to categorize BGI types, leading to a comprehensive parameterization toolset. This toolset includes parameter estimates for predefined BGI types, encompassing both natural and technical systems with a specific emphasis on plant-specific parameterization. The justification of these parameter estimates is supported by an extensive literature review. Sensitivity analyses reveal the influence of plant-specific parameters, such as the crop factor (KC), and soil storage capacity, on water balance and peak runoff. Additionally, this study presents practical guidelines to enhance the comprehension of model behavior and ensure the highest possible quality in model parameterization. While further research on validity and transferability of the toolset is required, the findings of this study provide useful support for the differentiated representation and analysis of hydrological processes in urban environments. As a result, this study serves as a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and decision makers, facilitating the implementation of sustainable water management practices in urban settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Sustainability of Water Sensitive Cities)
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17 pages, 3876 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Performance of Blue-Green Roof Systems—Results of a Building-Scale Monitoring Study in Hamburg, Germany
by Michael Richter and Wolfgang Dickhaut
Water 2023, 15(15), 2806; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152806 - 03 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1355
Abstract
For the first time, a long-term monitoring study with different full-scale blue-green roof (BGR) types was conducted. Within a pilot project from Hamburg’s Rainwater InfraStructure Adaptation (RISA) framework, four different BGR types were built in 2015 for long-term evaluation and comparison with each [...] Read more.
For the first time, a long-term monitoring study with different full-scale blue-green roof (BGR) types was conducted. Within a pilot project from Hamburg’s Rainwater InfraStructure Adaptation (RISA) framework, four different BGR types were built in 2015 for long-term evaluation and comparison with each other. The test site was created to find out to what extent BGRs are able to improve hydrological performance and if increased water supply affects vegetation development and species diversity. Therefore, the roofs were equipped with hydrologic monitoring systems, their retention performance was evaluated, and vegetation analysis was conducted. During 2017–2023, between 64 and 74% of the precipitation was retained on the roofs, and in the summer months there was hardly any outflow from the roofs. For single (heavy) rain events, high retention capacities, low outflow intensities, and high detention times were demonstrated. On the BGRs where rainwater is permanently stored on the roof, the vegetation species’ composition changed in the long term, resulting in an increase in biodiversity. The studied BGRs are effective in reducing flood risk from heavy rain events and can increase evaporative cooling and biodiversity. Therefore, such BGRs are a blue-green infrastructure with far-reaching positive effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Sustainability of Water Sensitive Cities)
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13 pages, 15726 KiB  
Article
The Potential of Digitalization to Promote a Circular Economy in the Water Sector
by Vicent Hernández-Chover, Lledó Castellet-Viciano, Águeda Bellver-Domingo and Francesc Hernández-Sancho
Water 2022, 14(22), 3722; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14223722 - 17 Nov 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2151
Abstract
The current amount of data coming from all kinds of devices together with the incessant increase in computing capacity is revolutionizing almost all existing sectors, and the water sector is no exception. The monitoring of urban water cycle infrastructures makes it possible to [...] Read more.
The current amount of data coming from all kinds of devices together with the incessant increase in computing capacity is revolutionizing almost all existing sectors, and the water sector is no exception. The monitoring of urban water cycle infrastructures makes it possible to generate a large amount of data, this information, previously processed, helps to increase the efficiency of the processes carried out in these infrastructures, from catchment to purification and subsequent discharge. This information, in addition to improving internal aspects such as the operation and maintenance of the infrastructures, allows them to be linked to multiple other variables in other sectors, making new technological approaches and more effective management strategies possible. A practical example is wastewater treatment plants. From the perspective of the circular economy, these infrastructures are capable of producing a large amount of resources, which, if properly managed, can reduce the pressure on conventional resources. In this sense, digitization allows the integration of the different market players, thus optimizing the supply and demand of these resources and ultimately advancing the practical application of the circular economy. This paper reviews the potential of digitalization in the urban water sector and proposes numerous practical examples to accelerate the transition towards economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Sustainability of Water Sensitive Cities)
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