Integrated Water Sensitive Design: Opportunities and Barriers to implementation

Dan Tram, Kemi Adeyeye

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceedingChapter in a published conference proceeding

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Abstract

Flooding incidences are increasingly prevalent due to climate change, weather variability, building and land use practices. One of the regions to experience recent wide-spread flooding is located in the South West region in England. This region remains prone to flooding since the significant flooding of the Somerset levels during the 2014 storms. But with the growing demand for more housing in the UK and in North Somerset in particular, it is now important to review the current building and development practices for flood resilience.
The current regulations for water management in the built environment remains unclear for both new and existing development. However, this study focusses on the former and explores the potential for, and use of water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) solutions in two new housing schemes in North Somerset, South West England.
This study presents a brief overview of WSUD definitions and strategies, highlighting the corresponding opportunities and barriers to implementation. Then, primary research from documentary review and interviews of property development experts and the local council will be presented. The main drivers for WSUD were found to be led by the local authorities and regulatory bodies such as the Environment Agency. Key barriers include the up-front time and investment required to implement water sensitive design schemes. Also, mentioned were the maintenance cost and the health and safety implications of exposed water bodies in housing developments. The extended abstract concludes with recommendations to encourage better uptake of WSUD in future housing schemes.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationWater Efficiency Conference
Subtitle of host publicationWatefCon 2016
Place of PublicationUniversity of Bath
Pages214 - 217
Number of pages4
Publication statusPublished - 9 Sept 2016

Keywords

  • Water sensitive design
  • Flooding
  • Resilience
  • Housing

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