Abstract
Urban blue infrastructure (UBI) and urban green infrastructure (UGI) can be seen as an integrated system in which services and spatial layouts complement each other. However, given its complexity, it is difficult to integrate and optimize the layout of urban blue and green infrastructure (UBGI) in the built environment. This study develops a planning support tool for the layout integral optimization (PSTLIO) of UBGI. Using Hekou City in China as a case study, service demands and the supply of suitable land for UBGI development are assessed and mapped on geographic information system (GIS). The potential areas for UBGI development are delineated after mapping assessments of service demand and land supply and suitability. Following discussions on the exact means for PSTLIO to support the layout optimization of UBGI, a PSTLIO-based solution is developed to structure the UBGI link network and hub system, define the functions and service patterns of single UBGI components, and provide guidance for determining the scale of UBGI components. The results show that PSTLIO is able to provide a quantifiable base for decision-making in UBGI layout optimization.
Highlights
Climate change and the hardening of cities’ underlying surfaces have led to a series of environmental issues that present unprecedented challenges to traditional paradigms in urban planning [1]
This case study in Hekou provides critical insight into the urban blue and green infrastructure (UBGI) planning stage, but it demonstrates the benefits offered by PSTLIO in UBGI integral layout optimization
According to the results obtained from applying PSTLIO in Hekou, PSTLIO’s contributions to the planning process could be grouped into three main categories: 1. Firstly, a platform was built to investigate and identify the different service demands for UBGI, and to understand the determining factors and distribution patterns of each service demand
Summary
Climate change and the hardening of cities’ underlying surfaces have led to a series of environmental issues that present unprecedented challenges to traditional paradigms in urban planning [1]. The concepts and planning theories of urban blue infrastructure (UBI) and urban green infrastructure (UGI) emerged as alternatives to man-made infrastructure. They are currently used extensively in urban planning practice [2]. The components of UBI and UGI are totally different, it has become evident that their services and spatial layouts may be correlated and that they can complement each other [6]. Recent research increasingly considers UBI and UGI as an integrated system and explores their combined environmental and public services [7,8]
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