Efficieant Green Climate Streets
A CALL Copenhagen project funded by the Danish Water Sector’s Development and Demonstration Program created the basis for a more efficient realization of “climate streets” in order to support sustainable green and blue climate adaption in residential areas in Greater Copenhagen. The project Collaboratorium for climate Adaptation developed and tested participatory planning methods for local climate road projects.
Lasting Protection from Flooding
Up to half of the sealed areas in cities are made up of streets that consequently contribute massively to the water run-off. In some instances the run off can reach threatening levels, e.g. if it rains heavily and the existing sewer capacity is insufficient to to handle the water masses. Thus, the development of “climate streets”, which unse local rainwater harvesting solutions to retain water and reduce the load in the sewer system, is an important part of a sustainable climate adaptation. In Copenhagen alone, hundreds of streets must be converted into climate streets as part of the current Copenhagen Cloudburst Plan. This implies their permanent complete or partial decoupling from the existing sewage system.
A Challenge to Planning in all of Denmark
Many other Danish cities, including Frederiksberg, Middelfart, Vejle and Aarhus, are also working intensively with climate streets. Hence, climate adaptation comes close to many private landowners who need to be involved in the planning process. Either because they use the streets daily or because they have to guide rainwater from their own land parcel to the new climate street in order to secure their property against flooding.
New Technologies and Procedures
In order to implement such a large number of projects in a cost-effective manner, it is necessary to apply procedural as well as technical standard components that can be used across the country. The Collaboratorium for Climate Adaptation therefore used state of the art data gathering and data enhancement technologies using low cost drone technology, 3D modeling for planning purposes and plan visualization, as well as online platforms for participartory processes.
For more information on the project please reach out to Senior Specialist Søren Kasper Heinecke (skhe@hofor.dk).
Project period: Oct 2017 to June 2019
The project is funded by Danish Water Sector’s Development and Demonstration Program (www.danva.dk/vudp).
Partners:
- HOFOR (lead)
- City of Copenhagen
- University of Copenhagen
- Danish Technological Institute
- Aalborg University
- Geoinfo
- Build A World
