Lecture 4 (WM&SP) Flashcards
Explain a few trends in urban flood management
- Detailed regional and local climate predictions are highly uncertain, and
consequences of pluvial flooding are often severe (cities as ‘urban stream
deserts’) - Regime shift: from traditional stormwater engineering towards the
development of ‘flood resilient’ and ‘water sensitive’ cities - Call for more integrated and new ‘water sensitive’ technologies, concepts
and approaches - Resulting in a large variety of potential urban flood adaptation measures
Explain pros and cons of the ‘water sensitive city’
Pros:
* appealing and attractive
* integrated and hoistic, systems, based perspective
* climate resilient
* Includes all areas of adaptation: socio-cultural, nature-based and water adaptation
cons:
* For cities in developing countries: to what extent an attractive, affordable
and realistic future perspective?
* Only for the happy few? Even in cities in developed countries so far only
few small-scale experiments… > problem of social inclusion and acceptance
* Finding space for climate adaptation – so far focus on public spaces > lack
of motivation and willingness of landowners to invest in climate adaptation
What are strategic urban water/climate plans
a strategic water planning approach in which governments, water managers and spatial planners seek to opportunities to adress water and other policy issues together.
What is the problem with governance of urban climate adaptation?
The implementation of adaptation measures is hampered by the unavailability of land:
* other land uses are given priority over flood management. Because the focus is on short-term profit maximization.
On the other hand: homeowners can also contribute. They need to know if and how they are at risk and what they can do to prepare.
Urban climate adaptation is a relatively new policy domain. It doesn’t have its own department. It’s shattered around over different policy departments and institutions. Therefore it is a multi-sector and multi-level governance issue.
Explain the instruments based typology of Carrots, sticks and sermons.
Sticks: legal instruments
* Restricting/allowing behavioral options
* Hierarchical governance mode
Examples:
* Example: building requirements for houses in flood prone areas
* Mandatory labels that specify vulnerabilities to floods. ‘flood label’
Carrot: economic instruments
* Changing the cost/benefit ratios of these options
* Relate dot market based governance mode
Sermons: communicative or informational instruments
* Informing about the options
* Related to interactive governance mode
Examples:
* Public information campaign, tailored expert advice, risk communication (maps), demonstration roofs/floating platform
Explain the difference between fluvial and pluvial flooding
fluvial: water around the streams of the river overflows banks or levies. Inundating the adjacent flood plain area.
pluvial: precipitation rates exceed the infiltration capacity of soils and sewage systems. Overflooding of streets and pavements.
What are urban stream deserts?
As a cause of urbanization there is much concrete and stone. Because of this, downtown urban areas depend on underground infrastructure. Public space hasn’t had attention for urban flood management because of densification.
Why is a regime shift needed in urban areas because of climate change?
Because of impacts of climate change. Traditional sewage systems do not drain off rainwater anymore. Concepts like the sponge city, flood city or water sensitive city are promising.
Explain how the WSUD water square is a great example of creating sustainable attractive urban areas
It collects rainwater, while it also is a playground. There is multifunctionality.
What is the goal of the water assessment?
To ensure that water interests would be taken into account in spatial plans in an explicit and balanced manner.
What phases does the water assessment have?
The initial phase: Earliest stages of the plans the spatial planner informs the water manager. Water manager shows comments on how the water aspects should be dealth with.
Development phase: The draft spatial plan is sent to the water manager. Checks if all criteria are met and then sends a ‘water reccommendation’ (overlegreacties). Water authority is actively involved in the plandevelopment.
Decision-making phase: spatial planning authority describes everything in the waterparagraph. Higher authority (gemeenteraad) reviews the spatial plan including water assessment.
What are the three water assessment products?
Agreement on criteria
water recommendation
water paragraph
Why can the water assessment be ineffective with new locations for spatial development?
Because for example new housing areas still appear in areas that are less preferable from a water management perspective.
What new role is needed for Water assessment?
collaborative thinking with public and private stakeholders in the name of the Omgevingswet. - Omgevingswet. It needs to be more integrated from the start.
