Public open spaces: utiization of green infrastructure to optimize urban drainage in historic property

Abstract

Climate change affects city life. Extreme events, such as temperature rising, droughts, and floods, also threaten cultural heritage. In historic city centers, floods and heavy rain have caused pathologies in properties and streets. The traditional urban drainage system has shown to be inefficient, in addition to the difficulties of expanding this system due to pre-existing matters. This study seeks to use public open spaces in historic city centers to improve urban drainage, through the concept of green infrastructure. At a first glance, it draws a relation between climate changes, and the disturbances to the cultural landscape, also how a green infrastructure can contribute to a resilience of the historic city centers. Next, the public open spaces system available for this application is analyzed, taking the the city of Laguna, in Santa Catarina, as a case study.As a result, public open spaces should be used as an infrastructural feature instead of being there as mere scenery. Thus, they shall become vital to the urban centers, valuing landscape, and increasing the effect of the drainage, without impacting or disregarding existing geomorphology and urban morphology.Climate change affects city life. Extreme events, such as temperature rising, droughts, and floods, also threaten cultural heritage. In historic city centers, floods and heavy rain have caused pathologies in properties and streets. The traditional urban drainage system has shown to be inefficient, in addition to the difficulties of expanding this system due to pre-existing matters. This study seeks to use public open spaces in historic city centers to improve urban drainage, through the concept of green infrastructure. At a first glance, it draws a relation between climate changes, and the disturbances to the cultural landscape, also how a green infrastructure can contribute to a resilience of the historic city centers. Next, the public open spaces system available for this application is analyzed, taking the the city of Laguna, in Santa Catarina, as a case study. As a result, public open spaces should be used as an infrastructural feature instead of being there as mere scenery. Thus, they shall become vital to the urban centers, valuing landscape, and increasing the effect of the drainage, without impacting or disregarding existing geomorphology and urban morphology.