Blue-Green Cities: Integrating urban flood risk management with green infrastructure

In Blue-Green Cities, Colin Thorne and the team of authors, demonstrate how urban flood risk management based on Blue-Green approaches and infrastructure can deliver both sustainable flood risk management and multiple co-benefits that are valued by urban communities. Cities world-wide are seeking novel solutions to problems with aging ‘grey’ drainage systems that are unable to cope with climate change-related increases in urban flooding. A Blue-Green City finds solutions by combining its management of urban green spaces with upgrading existing drainage systems to create integrated stormwater management systems. This challenges policy makers and planners to overcome barriers to innovation, engineers to model, design and implement Blue-Green systems fit for an uncertain future, social scientists to identify the preferences and values of the beneficiary communities, and environmental economists to reliably evaluate the co-benefits of Blue-Green solutions. We address these issues by synthesising the outcomes of the Blue-Green Cities Research Project (EPSRC award EP/K013661/1) to demonstrate how urban flood risk management that is both sustainable and resilient can be achieved using innovative approaches.

This book reveals how cities can enhance their flood risk management systems while simultaneously delivering

• increased water security
• improved air and water quality
• reduced urban heat island effects
• carbon sequestration
• access to natural areas for recreation and conservation
• enhanced social benefits and economic vitality.

This book is an essential read for flood risk management professionals, policy makers and stakeholders in urban areas. It particularly appeals to city and local authority councillors, municipal, drainage and urban water engineers and developers, architects and landscape architects.

Book Reviews

Blue-Green Cities is about the management of water and the opportunities to create and support nature with blue and green spaces in urban areas. The book is wide-ranging and includes technical aspects of flood and water management as well as the essential social and economic perspectives.

Blue-Green Cities provides a clear view of where thinking and practice has got to, using numerous UK examples, but also showing how other countries have implemented the ideas that using blue or green infrastructure can be as hydraulically effective as traditional pipes, concrete and channelised system.

Richard Ashley, Emeritus Professor of Urban Water, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, University of Sheffield, UK

Blue-Green Cities is one of the very few books to examine in detail the performance of blue green infrastructure in cities from various angles based on international case studies. It provides guidance to flood risk management professionals and inspires researchers working in this field to move beyond their domain. Definitely highly recommended.

Chris Zevenbergen, Professor of Flood Resilience of Urban Systems, IHE Delft/TU Delft, Netherlands