Green Infrastructure and Climate Resilience

Abstract

It is well known that the numerical growth of the population and the actual requirements for an increased comfort regarding living have determined the agglomeration of cities and the limitation, or even elimination, of the natural environment from the perimeter of cities to the detriment of the built environment. In other words, cities have densified with a significant negative impact on the environment, and especially on the water circuit. In recent years, the impact of urban development and agglomeration has been doubled by that of climate change. The green infrastructure brings many benefits to the urban environment and the comfort of its inhabitants, minimizing the impact of climate change by minimizing rain floods, reducing the effects of heat islands, improving the urban landscape, ensuring recreation spaces, etc. This chapter proposes a methodology for the implementation of green infrastructure in the urban environment to minimize the effects of climate change, the main target being to reduce the negative impact generated by urban floods. The proposed solution combines engineering infrastructure concepts with urban planning requirements, leading by mathematical modeling to the sizing and designing of green infrastructure equipment to ensure the reduction of flood intensity at the levels imposed by local conditions. The methodology uses data specific to the studied urban area, regarding the land use, the type of soil and land ownership, the transport capacity of the sewerage network, the intensity of precipitation, etc. The case study presented demonstrates that green infrastructure solutions are effective when the area considered is large enough (more than 200 ha).