Water management assessment methodology for urban planning

Giovana Ulian,Maria Manuela C Lemos Lima,Ivan Cartes

doi:10.4136/ambi-agua.1917

Giovana Ulian, Maria Manuela C Lemos Lima + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4136/ambi-agua.1917

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Abstract

One of the biggest challenges in urban planning is to balance the use of natural resources with the need to preserve them. One of the main resources is water, which is essential to human life and activities. Population growth and urban sprawl challenge water availability. Thus, it is important to evaluate development trends in order to predict future scenarios, enabling the adoption of preventive actions and decision-making. The objective of this study is to present a water management assessment methodology for urban planning as a practical and direct tool capable of conveying the necessary information for decision making in the process of balanced and harmonious urban planning, applicable to medium size Brazilian cities.

Highlights

Spatial sustainability is advocated by some urban planners, who believe that compact cities with higher population concentrations facilitate mobility through a more efficient transport system
As a way to find a solution to this impasse, Agudelo-Vera et al (2011) state that sustainable urban development should promote the management of scarce resources integrated with urban planning
It is imperative that more information is developed regarding the environment, especially concerning the hydrologic impacts driven by land-use changes (Tong et al, 2009)

Summary

Introduction

Spatial sustainability is advocated by some urban planners, who believe that compact cities with higher population concentrations facilitate mobility through a more efficient transport system On another hand, some environment scientists counter that sustainability is achieved by greener, more conservative, self-supplying cities, with smaller population density. Despite having a close connection with urban design and land use and occupation, sanitation in Brazil tends merely to meet emerging demands, and does not contribute to the organization of urban space. These sanitation actions are carried out in a non-integrated way, as an answer to immediate problems rather than considering preventive planning or needed improvements (Bernardes et al, 2006). Urban, hydrologic and environmental concepts are not articulated or considered during town planning processes

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