Green space and sustainable stormwater management in a denser city. An analysis of future scenario for urban development in Gothenburg

Sammanfattning: Population growth and urbanization increase the housing demand in cities. Densification with limited expansion has environmental and social benefits and is therefore a common development strategy. However, many interests must be balanced in urban planning and spaciousness, and green space especially, is important for sustainable and livable cities. Green Infrastructure (GI) provides Ecosystem Services (ES) that can be integrated with stormwater management in Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS). SUDS are open systems for stormwater management that benefit from ES and improve resilience against flooding, which is a growing concern in many cities due to climate change. Due to the shortage of housing in Gothenburg a project (BoStad2021) was established to test if an intensified planning process was suitable to enhance development. The aim of this study was to investigate the development potential for urban growth in Gothenburg and predict if GI and SUDS can be integrated in an intensified planning process. Six limiting criteria for housing development were identified from a policy document analysis and used to determine the potential for housing development through a Multi-Criteria Evaluation in a geographical information system. Planning strategies observed in approved detailed development plans in BoStad2021were then used to predict a future scenario for how GI and SUDS can be integrated in the development. The result showed that not all land is needed for the planned growth of the city. Preservation of green areas are positive both for social, ecological and resilience aspects, especially since little land is dedicated for SUDS in the development plans. Furthermore, such trends are possible as the population density still would be lower than recommendations. However, the analysis also showed that green space often gets developed and even areas of importance for the mentioned aspects. However, traffic infrastructure is over-dimensioned in the potential area and there is interest for reducing the soil sealing which could generate sustainable development.