Barriers preventing development of integrated stormwater management in Helsinki, Finland

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Volume Title

A4 Artikkeli konferenssijulkaisussa

Date

2018

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Language

en

Pages

20

Series

Re-City: (Im)possible cities, pp. 29-48

Abstract

In recent years, the development of sustainable urban stormwater management has been much in focus in several cities in Finland due to climate change and new regulations. Urban adaptation to climate change requires solutions that combine underground and aboveground measures and processes. However, the transition towards a water sensitive city, where multifunctional green infrastructure and urban design reinforce water sensitive behavior, is not trouble-free. Various barriers have been identified, such as a lack of knowledge as well as unclear roles and responsibilities among stakeholders. In the city of Helsinki, the present stormwater strategy has currently been updated to an integrated stormwater program. For this purpose, a workshop was organized for civil servants and experts working with storm water issues in different city departments. In the workshop, different measures and solutions required to reach the goals of the new program were discussed in order to define adequate actions. The preliminary goals of the strategy were: 1) the prevention of stormwater related problems, 2) climate-proof local and regional drainage, 3) qualitative and quantitative stormwater management, 4) use of stormwater as a resource in urban environments, and 5) integrated stormwater management within city administration. The workshop discussions revealed that civil servants and experts knew and understood quite well the main goals of the program. However, the participants displayed gaps in other areas of knowledge. There was a lack of knowledge on sustainable drainage components and their variety of delivered ecosystem services. Stormwater management is still comprehended as a technological challenge with the multifunctionality of green infrastructure solutions not being fully utilized in urban design. Several approaches are needed to continue the development of the water-sensitive city in Helsinki, including more real life examples, broader stakeholder involvement outside the building sector, and a critical examination of existing planning procedures.

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Keywords

Integrated stormwater management, SUDS, Urban water management, Green infrastructure, Water sensitive urban design

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Citation

Lähde, E & Rosqvist, K 2018, Barriers preventing development of integrated stormwater management in Helsinki, Finland . in M Chudoba & J Rajaniemi (eds), Re-City : (Im)possible cities . Tampere University of Technology, pp. 29-48, (Im)Possible Cities, Tampere, Finland, 24/08/2017 .