The underutilised role of architects and urban planners needs to be addressed if we are going to tackle the urban water issues facing our communities.
A new paper by researchers from the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities demonstrates how architectural design has a greater influence on urban water flows than the implementation of on-site water servicing technologies. The results have significant implications for sustainable urban water management, in particular for managing the risks associated with pluvial flooding, water insecurity and urban heat.
Highlights
- Business-as-usual infill development severely increases stormwater discharge (44%) and imported water (85%).
- Alternative designs can achieve 141% increase in population density with only 21% increase in stormwater discharge and 64% increase in imported water.
- Architectural design is, up to 3 times, more influential than water servicing technologies
Read the abstract here. If you are a Water Sensitive Cities Australia partner or participant, the paper is downloadable for free until 19 April 2022.
So, for those of you in any doubt – solutions to the current stormwater challenges associated with infill development fall firmly in the realm of the planning system!
Hydrological performance and water mass balance for infill development scenarios. Source: CRC for Water Sensitive Cities