Towards Holistic and Multifunctional Design of Green and Blue Infrastructure for Climate Change Adaptation in Cultural Heritage Areas

Abstract

The traditional way of approaching flood risk mitigation is heavily based on the so-called grey infrastructure (i.e., hard core engineering measures such as pipes, channels, underground storages, etc.) with the primary aim of conveying flood waters from urban areas as soon as it is possible. The notion of holistic design of multifunctional green infrastructure, which is as a central concept in this paper, is to enforce the framework in which a climate adaptive design of urban drainage infrastructure for flood risk mitigation requires a combination of grey and green measures to meet the stakeholder preferences. The present paper deals with a systematic, holistic approach for multifunctional design of green infrastructure. The multifunctionality of green infrastructure is realised through a multipurpose design of a detention facility in Ayutthaya UNESCO heritage site (Thailand). This was done by combining a state-of-the-art landscape and hydraulic engineering practice through 1D–2D hydrodynamic model simulation. The following objectives were used in the design work: flood risk mitigation, aesthetics, recreational use, touristic activities and economic benefits.