A regenerative urban stormwater management methodology. The role of SuDS construction and monitoring in the transition of a Mediterranean city

[EN] Under the well-known slogan 'think global, act local', cities in the 21st century face the enor-mous challenge of catalyzing, intensifying and accelerating sustainable urban transformations. Without losing a holistic view, the methodology presented in this thesis places the fo...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Perales Momparler, Carmen Sara
Tipo de recurso: tesis doctoral
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/59063
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/59063
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Built environment
Mediterranean cities
Monitoring
Regenerative
SuDS
Sustainable Drainage Systems
Transition management
Urban stormwater management.
INGENIERIA HIDRAULICA
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] Under the well-known slogan 'think global, act local', cities in the 21st century face the enor-mous challenge of catalyzing, intensifying and accelerating sustainable urban transformations. Without losing a holistic view, the methodology presented in this thesis places the focus on 're-source management and climate mitigation and adaptation', in particular in urban stormwater management, proposing processes that can bring about the required change, shaped by the place-based approach of the regenerative sustainability paradigm. Building upon literature and practice that supports a flexible approach to stormwater manage-ment in urban environments that mimic natural processes and predevelopment hydrology (Sus-tainable Drainage Systems, SuDS) as one way to, amongst others, help to prevent and adapt to climate change, the thesis highlights the relevance of the connection to the place for adoption of best practices that conduct towards a regenerative system. Hence, it incorporates this con-nection to the place to the SuDS representation, naming it the SuDS 'landed rocket'. The proposed methodology includes a conceptual framework, specific method and tools, that allows for the understanding and the characterization of the current situation of a urban stormwater system in a process that guides future actions to move towards the desired regen-erative urban built environment concept, with a place-based holistic view. This methodology has been applied to Benaguasil, a Mediterranean city, where stormwater management is the local authority's responsibility and has been historically guided by main-stream conventional drainage practices. The thesis shows how, by taking a multi-dimensional and trans-disciplinary approach to solve environmental problems, future actions can be proper-ly addressed. Working with academia has been essential to develop wider evidence base. In this case, a sequence of research projects has advanced the innovative approach to stormwater management in Benaguasil, but it is contended that this methodology could be applied to any urban context. The thesis aims to enhance smart governance by providing information about the successful implementation and monitoring of SuDS showcase sites in Mediterranean Spain. These show-case sites are catalysts in the transition towards regenerative urban built environments in the region. In addition, it provides international examples that add further credence for improved urban ecological infrastructure by demonstrating what success can look like.