Stormwater management in urban areas is a pivotal issue to cope with, in order to avoid the disastrous effects that heavy precipitation events caused in recent years. Considering only the Italian situation, the important city of Genoa has witnessed two catastrophic floods in a three years span (2011-2014). Many other examples could be reported regarding several other urban areas worldwide. Resilience to clime change or, in general, to extraordinary rainfall events, of urban areas has therefore become an import research topic in the scientific community. As with any clime related issue, there is not a single approach or solution that could be indiscriminately applied in any context or circumstance. However, the elements known as stormwater tree trenches look very promising if extensively applied, at least, at a neighborhood scale and in synergy with other green and/or grey infrastructures such as: permeable pavements, rain gardens, stormwater bump-outs (curb extensions). Tree trenches perform in a very similar way to other infiltration devices, like basins and dry wells, (infiltration, storage, evapotranspiration etc.) but in addition, they provide an increased tree canopy, with all the benefits associated with this possibility. Stormwater tree trenches are systems of trees linked by an infiltration structure positioned below the ground. The main benefits such structures can provide are: reduced runoff increasing the amount of stormwater managed, improved growing environment for trees, due to a bigger grow space, compared to most traditional tree pits and bioremediation, helping removing trace amounts of harmful chemicals including metals, organic compounds, fuels, and solvents. On the ground surface, they can appear as a series of disconnected inground tree pits or as a linear bed with very flexible design that makes these facilities a versatile asset in managing peak flows, flow volume and water quality. The aim of this paper is to supply an overview of these structures, underlining their benefits and flaws, their application fields and their relevance in the future of sustainable urban planning, through the analysis and comparison of some interesting case studies.
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURES: TREE TRENCHES FOR STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS
GROHMANN, DAVID;MENCONI, MARIA ELENA
2016
Abstract
Stormwater management in urban areas is a pivotal issue to cope with, in order to avoid the disastrous effects that heavy precipitation events caused in recent years. Considering only the Italian situation, the important city of Genoa has witnessed two catastrophic floods in a three years span (2011-2014). Many other examples could be reported regarding several other urban areas worldwide. Resilience to clime change or, in general, to extraordinary rainfall events, of urban areas has therefore become an import research topic in the scientific community. As with any clime related issue, there is not a single approach or solution that could be indiscriminately applied in any context or circumstance. However, the elements known as stormwater tree trenches look very promising if extensively applied, at least, at a neighborhood scale and in synergy with other green and/or grey infrastructures such as: permeable pavements, rain gardens, stormwater bump-outs (curb extensions). Tree trenches perform in a very similar way to other infiltration devices, like basins and dry wells, (infiltration, storage, evapotranspiration etc.) but in addition, they provide an increased tree canopy, with all the benefits associated with this possibility. Stormwater tree trenches are systems of trees linked by an infiltration structure positioned below the ground. The main benefits such structures can provide are: reduced runoff increasing the amount of stormwater managed, improved growing environment for trees, due to a bigger grow space, compared to most traditional tree pits and bioremediation, helping removing trace amounts of harmful chemicals including metals, organic compounds, fuels, and solvents. On the ground surface, they can appear as a series of disconnected inground tree pits or as a linear bed with very flexible design that makes these facilities a versatile asset in managing peak flows, flow volume and water quality. The aim of this paper is to supply an overview of these structures, underlining their benefits and flaws, their application fields and their relevance in the future of sustainable urban planning, through the analysis and comparison of some interesting case studies.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
