Optimal Design of LIDs in Urban Stormwater Systems Using a Harmony-Search Decision Support System

Abstract

During the last years, climate changes and urbanization are causing huge urban pluvial flood events in many countries in the world, driving to both develop and apply effective and innovative approaches for the design and management of urban stormwater systems. The gradual urbanization is provoking the increase of impervious surfaces and, consequently, of surface runoff and velocity and the reduction of concentration times of watersheds, both increasing soil erosion and worsening the water quality as a consequence of the intensive contamination. In this field, Low Impact Development (LID) practices for urban runoff control can be intended as an effective approach to both improve the urban resilience against the flooding risk and assure environmental interventions to adequate the urban stormwater systems to both climate and land use changes. In this paper, a Decision Support System (DSS) for the optimal design of LIDs in urban watershed is presented and discussed. The procedure is tested on Fuorigrotta (IT) and Ponticelli (IT) urban watersheds, with the aim of assessing the effectiveness of LIDs application in reducing both the flooded and conveyed volumes, at the expense of cost-effective solutions.