Cities are poorly equipped for increased extremes in the weather
With climate change, periods of extreme weather might become more common in the future. However, many municipalities and cities lack a sustainable strategy to meet the coming changes.
According to the European Environment Agency EEA, global warming will cause extreme weather conditions to become more powerful and increasingly common. At the same time, the UN Climate Panel IPCC has found in its latest report that a doubling of efforts is needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
Many cities are poorly equipped for extreme weather conditions, which can give rise to major socio-economic costs. According to Vladimír Mikule, Technical Director at Sweco Hydroprojekt, the sustainable management of storm water needs to be introduced early in urban planning.
"With a clear strategy, it is possible to create conditions for the long-term sustainable management of storm water and to reduce much of the damage that can occur".
A new Urban Insight report from Sweco provides suggestions for how cities with a so-called Blue-Green Infrastructure approach can help prepare for future climate change, reduce water pollution from storm water and improve the quality of life for inhabitants. The Blue-Green infrastructure approach consists of providing various measures such as green roofs, planters, green belts, swales, wetlands, grassed dry retention ponds, raingardens, underground infiltration and detention and retention tanks.
"Generally speaking, it's more economical to do the preparatory work and create long-term sustainable management of storm water than to bear the costs of flooding," concludes Vladimír Mikule.
Background
Urban Insight is based on a series of insight reports written by Sweco experts on various aspects of urban development from a citizen perspective. Read the report here.
For additional information, please contact:
Johnny Nylund, Head of Press, +46 (0)73 773 5189, johnny.nylund@sweco.se
Sweco plans and designs tomorrow’s communities and cities. Our work produces sustainable buildings, efficient infrastructure and access to electricity and clean water. With 15,000 employees in Europe, we offer our customers the right expertise for every situation. We carry out projects in 70 countries annually throughout the world. Sweco is Europe’s leading engineering and architecture consultancy, with sales of approximately SEK 16.9 billion (EUR 1.8 billion). The company is listed on Nasdaq. Stockholm. www.swecogroup.com
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