Integrating stormwater management into urban space : the Kvillebäcken watershed as testing ground

Sammanfattning: The mantra of many city planners is to densify cities like Gothenburg. This is so that communities will be more walkable, bike-able and can be served by public transportation more efficiently. Densification can reduce resource demand which is certainly important when designing sustainably. Another way, however, is to optimize ecological processes to provide us with services such as stormwater management. By providing space for ecological processes, density does not have to be lower (Lyle, 1985). Much can be done on land that is already green within a city. Natural landscapes provide ecological services such as cooling via evapotranspiration and shading; sequestering of carbon dioxide and production of oxygen via photosynthesis; filtering runoff and recharging of ground water. When the natural features that provided these services disappear, some of the services need to be taken over by machinery and grey infrastructure such as pipes, pumping stations and water treatment plants. In other instances the burden of providing these ecological services is simply put on other parts of the ecosystem which in turn become overburdened and fail. The concept of green infrastructure recognizes the valuable services nature provides to humanity. It attempts to mitigate our effect on the environment through maintaining, connecting and mimicking natural processes. Adapting our society to one that economizes with resources and balances the books with nature is necessary if we are going to be able to confront the challenges we are facing such as global warming and the depletion of easily accessible fossil fuels. We need to find a balance. Planners now have the chance to make space for natural processes that recycle resources when reprogramming the space left by defunct industries. A perfect opportunity lies within Kvillebäcken’s watershed.