Sustainable drainage systems: Helping people live with water

Everett, Glyn; Lamond, Jessica; Morzillo, Anita T.; Chan, Faith Ka Shun; Matsler, Annie Marissa

Abstract

© 2016, Thomas Telford Services Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Sustainable drainage systems or ‘Suds’ are increasingly accepted as an effective means of ‘making space for water’, adapting to possible climate change and helping communities become more flood and drought resilient. This study explores potential shifts in perception and attitude through Suds installation, development and habituation. Attitudes and awareness in communities in the USA and UK, where Suds have been in place for some time, were compared and contrasted, examining any evolution of beliefs and practices and wider community resilience. The principal finding was that there existed a lack of understanding about the existence and function of Suds. The paper concludes that consultation regarding solutions during Suds planning and installation, and ongoing dialogue afterwards, could usefully be explored as a means to improve local awareness of and satisfaction with Suds and promote greater understanding of their function. This may in turn encourage behaviour change to improve longer-term functionality of Suds and increase community resilience to flooding and drought.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Aug 24, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 22, 2016
• Journal: Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Water Management
• Print ISSN: 1741-7589
• Electronic ISSN: 1751-7729
• Publisher: Thomas Telford
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 169
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 94-104
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1680/wama.14.00076
• Keywords: floods and floodworks, sustainability, education and training
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/834061
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/wama.14.00076
• Contract Date: Mar 22, 2016