The development of a novel decision support system for the location of green infrastructure for stormwater management

Abstract

In order to maximise the benefits of green infrastructure in a city's structure for urban adaptation to climate change, there is a need to support decision-makers in the urban design domain with adequate information that would help them to locate such green infrastructure in the most suitable places. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a novel decision support system (DSS) for the location of green infrastructure. The goal of the designed solution is to inform users about the location of urban hydrological sinks, which gather stormwater in urban watersheds, and the amount of water which could accumulate in each location depending on the defined precipitation and the soil's moisture conditions. The designed DSS is based on a multicomponent methodology including both atmospheric and soil conditions. The DSS was tested using a sample that presents the results of stormwater accumulation calculations. The obtained results show which green areas are the most suitable locations for green infrastructure solutions and which facility is optimal because of its retention abilities and amount of accumulated stormwater. The application of the designed DSS allows us to maximise the benefits of the implementation of green infrastructure within the existing urban land use. The fully editable component of hydrological conditions allows for testing projections of the potential amount of accumulated water in different precipitation scenarios. The study provides a DSS for use by local authorities which enables them to concentrate actions in order to better adapt cities to climate change and environmental extremes.