Research Group SEE-URBAN-WATER Publications News archive
Publication: Potential of retrofitted urban green infrastructure to reduce runoff - A model implementation with site-specific constraints at neighborhood scale

Publication: Potential of retrofitted urban green infrastructure to reduce runoff - A model implementation with site-specific constraints at neighborhood scale

Citation: Carlos H. Aparicio Uribe, Ricardo Bonilla Brenes, Jochen Hack, 2022. Potential of retrofitted urban green infrastructure to reduce runoff - A model implementation with site-specific constraints at neighborhood scale. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, Volume 69, 2022. doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127499

The urbanization has resulted in significant changes in the water balance. Urban Green Infrastructures (UGI) have become a promising method for reducing reoccurring floods whilst providing additional social and ecological benefits. However, there are several challenges to successfully implementing UGI in already developed areas, such as accounting for retrofitting UGI scenarios and pre-existing use of spaces. The research work titled “Potential of retrofitted urban green infrastructure to reduce runoff - A model implementation with site-specific constraints at neighborhood scale”, shows the contribution regarding the decrease in the volume of surface runoff, due to the incorporation of sustainable drainage structures, in the hydraulic modeling of the current rainwater system, within a study area located between the cantons of Flores and Heredia, in the province of Heredia, Costa Rica. The model was generated with the PCSWMM program, which combines the US EPA's precipitation management modeling tool (SWMM) with geographic information systems (GIS). The tool allows the modeling of hydrological and hydraulic processes in terms of quantity and quality. The model was developed based on the classification of current land cover and the spatial distribution of residential elements within the study area, with the objective of defining the available spaces for the creation of sustainable drainage solution scenarios. The hydrological modeling is based on precipitation records from meteorological stations located near the study area and contemplates the analysis of both extreme events and the occurrence of ordinary precipitation events, which allows evaluating the behavior and efficiency of sustainable drainage structures under different precipitation conditions present in the area. The methodology used allowed the elaboration of characteristic scenarios for different types of residential growth and their classification with respect to the percentage decrease in the volume of surface runoff.