Open access publications in the SLU publication database

Abstract

Cities' stormwater management is an issue that increasingly concerns the use of land, which means that social values need to be taken into account in planning and design. Creating multifunctional and inclusive open stormwater solutions requires cross-sectoral collaboration and a strong user perspective, especially from marginalized groups. New methods are also required to understand a place from a broader perspective of accessibility, where the experience of a place from a cognitive, sensual and physical accessibility can be included. This pilot study was carried out within the innovation project TINK (Accessibility, Inclusion, Norm Criticism). The purpose is to learn from existing storm water solutions and to show a method to evaluate existing sites from a broader accessibility perspective. In the study, we have tested a more inclusive method for site analysis in urban, public or semi-public Scanian green areas with blue-green stormwater solutions, through observations and interviews. Conclusions include that context, needs and resources should be examined before a decision is made on a specific stormwater solution. Many improvements can be made regarding integrating the technology / function of stormwater solutions with outdoor environment design, especially in terms of accessibility and experiental aspects, where many of the obstacles are often easily remedied. When evaluating existing, or planning and design of new, blue-green stormwater solutions, a question of whether the stormwater system has contributed, or will contribute, with more values and functions than just effectively solving the flood problem, should be asked. Multifunctional stormwater solutions have the potential to contribute with many values that support increased social and ecological sustainability in the future city.