Economic analysis of wider benefits to facilitate SuDS uptake in London, UK
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Published version
Author(s)
Ossa-Moreno, J
Smith, KM
Mijic, A
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Urban water management via Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) has been successfully applied in cities worldwide. This infrastructure has proven to be a cost efficient solution to manage flood risks whilst also delivering wider benefits. Despite their technical performance, large-scale SuDS uptake in many places has been slow, mostly due to reasons beyond the engineering realm. This is the case of England and Wales, where the implementation of SuDS has not reached its full potential. This paper investigates the strategic role of SuDS retrofit in managing environmental risks to urban infrastructure at a catchment level, through an economic appraisal of all benefits (i.e. flood reduction and wider benefits). The Decoy Brook catchment in London, UK, was used as a case study. Average Annual Benefits were used to monetise the value of SuDS in reducing surface flood risk, whilst a Value Transfer approach was used to appraise wider benefits. It was found that by including the latter, their economic feasibility improves considerably. This paper also shows how to split the investment amongst multiple stakeholders, by highlighting the benefits each one derives. Finally, recommendations regarding incentives and policies to enhance the uptake of SuDS are given. The proposed methodology for SuDS mapping and economic appraisal in the planning phase can be used in cities worldwide, as long as general principles are adapted to local contexts.
Date Issued
2016-10-17
Date Acceptance
2016-10-02
Citation
Sustainable Cities and Society, 2016, 28, pp.411-419
ISSN
2210-6707
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
411
End Page
419
Journal / Book Title
Sustainable Cities and Society
Volume
28
Copyright Statement
© 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
License URL
Sponsor
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Grant Number
NE/M008169/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Technology
Construction & Building Technology
GREEN & SUSTAINABLE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Energy & Fuels
Science & Technology - Other Topics
SuDS
Urban infrastructure
Flood risk
Economic appraisal
SuDS wider benefits
Funding sustainability
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
URBAN
SYSTEM
WATER
METHODOLOGY
ADAPTATION
VALIDATION
RETROFITS
DRAINAGE
WINTER
Publication Status
Published