Stormwater : exploring the options

Posing a restriction to development and potential threat to infrastructure, stormwater in the city is typically considered a nuisance. Urban drainage infrastructure is designed with the aim of conveying rainfall away from the city as rapidly as possible. This module highlights the problems caused by conventional urban drainage methods and explains the benefits of integrating stormwater with other sectors of water management and urban design and of managing it not as a nuisance but rather as a resource. These include flood risk management, environmental protection, urban regeneration and the alleviation of water scarcity. In addition, the module introduces a number of more sustainable urban drainage solutions, such as the use of ponds and wetlands for stormwater retention, vegetation and soils for attenuation, and aquifers for infiltration and reuse. It goes on to demonstrate how these can positively influence urban water management and city development as a whole. [authors abstract]