Greening the Concrete Jungle: Enhancing Urban Resilience through Blue-Green Infrastructure

Abstract

As the threat from climate hazards rise, several global cities have altered their urban planning and design approaches to incorporate nature-driven solutions as a counter to conventional infrastructure practices by harnessing blue elements (for instance, seas, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and water utilities) alongside the green (such as trees, parks, gardens, playgrounds, and forests). This project study paper explores the emerging concept of blue-green infrastructure, and analyses existing plans and projects in India and globally. It also identifies opportunities in the blue-green space to help India\'s cities respond to climate hazards, promote equity and resilience, and catalyse economic transitions for sustainable urban futures.

Introduction

I. GENERAL

Urban areas are facing increasing climate risks and threats to human comfort and environmental justice. Of the four major global risks projected to have a negative decadal consequence on countries through temperature increases, three are primarily environmental—natural disaster, extreme weather and biodiversity loss, with climate action failure as the fourth. In attempts to address these challenges, growing attention is being paid to the potential role of green (such as trees, parks, gardens, playgrounds and forests) and blue (seas, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and water utilities) spaces, often approached through the concept of green and blue infrastructure.

In attempts to address these challenges, growing attention is being paid to the potential role of green (such as trees, parks, gardens, playgrounds and forests) and blue (seas, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and water utilities) spaces, often approached through the concept of blue and green infrastructure

II. SCOPE

The scope in of blue green infrastructure is Utilizing blue-green infrastructure in sectors such as transportation, water, and housing can improve ecosystem health, thereby improving human health and the environment. The design and beauty of the landscape can contribute to the identity of the city's character. Green streetscapes and landscapes enhance aesthetic and ethical qualities.

III. OBJECTIVE OF WORK

The objective of this study is to provide shelter in public spaces and reduce the urban temperature and increase outdoor activities which encourage more social gatherings.

1. Transportation
2. Healthy Ecosystem
3. Sustainable Drainage
4. Green Infrastructure
5. Rain Water Harvesting

IV. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In addition to the NAPCC, India has two national flagship projects—the Smart Cities Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)—focused on improving urban living and that include blue and green components as part of the mission intention. AMRUT works on issues of water supply, sanitation and green space upgradation, while the Smart Cities Mission works on solutions like sanitation, water supply, preserving open spaces and improving the quality of life of citizens.

Although a relatively new concept, several Indian cities—such as Delhi, Bhopal, Madurai and Bengaluru—are including blue-green components in their master or action plans, with the aim of enhancing existing natural blue systems in the city and the surrounding public spaces through a planned strategy.

However, these cities—and indeed many of India’s other cities—are already high-density built areas with existing challenges, including mix land use, overlapping jurisdiction among different agencies, skewed development patterns, technical difficulties and socio- political will. Land scarcity in such high- density areas means there is limited space for blue-green installations, which suggests that high efficiency and adaptability in urban blue- green infrastructure development is needed.

V. PRESENT STUDY

The Indian cities, like many regions in the Global South, face challenges related to unregulated and informal settlements, urban poverty, and inequity.

We study the urbanised region of India’s 10 most populated cities to examine the relationship between urban (built-up) expansion and changes in blue-green infrastructure such as surface waters, green cover, and recharge zones. Improving the interactions between urbanization and natural infrastructure in these 10 cities can significantly impact the well-being of about 30 percent of India’s urban population.

Remote sensing data and satellite imagery are used to monitor urbanisation and changes in blue-green infrastructure between 2000 and 2015 in the 10 study cities.

The cities studied are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, and Surat. The correlation between urbanisation and natural infrastructure is studied in two spatial intervals of 20 km (0–20 km) and 50 km (20–50 km) from the centre of each of the study cities. Satellite imagery enables the actual spatial extents of urban areas vis-à-vis built-up areas, blue cover, and green cover change trend to be studied. The study uses existing spatial assessment and analysis methods to estimate the spatial extents of various built and natural features in 10 Indian cities.

This study is limited to establishing correlations between increases in built-up area and impacts on natural infrastructure as observed from satellite imagery only. Changes to natural infrastructure in urban areas are driven by various interconnected factors including urbanisation, climate change driven weather extremes, and other human activities (such as agriculture and quarrying).

VI. LITERATURE REVIEW

1. Cost-effective restoration and conservation planning in Green and Blue Infrastructure designs. A case study on the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean:Andalusia (Spain) – Morocco (2018)

This paper offers a novel method based on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and ecosystem condition for methodically choosing affordable restoration sites for Green and Blue Infrastructure (GBI) designs. The research area includes the freshwater, coastal, and marine aquatic habitats found in the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean in Andalusia (Spain)- Morocco (IBRM).Using the Marxian with Zones tool to identify management zones within the GBI that address various conservation objectives, the strategy was tested regionally. The goal of the project is to offer a methodical approach to restoration zone allocation in GBI designs that takes into account variables including ecosystem services, biodiversity, and ecosystem condition. The deployment of GBI is regarded as a potentially effective measure for adjusting to global change, and this strategy may direct further uses of the EU GBI Strategy in transboundary ecosystem contexts.

2. Blue-green architecture: A case study analysis considering the synergetic effects of water and vegetation. (2019)

The paper reviews a planning strategy known as "blue green infrastructure" focuses on various goals and problems pertaining to vegetation and water in urban settings. Green-motivated initiatives include building greening, which can have a positive climatic effect with enough irrigation, and strive to densify urban vegetation. Projects driven by the blue movement concentrate on urban water build-up and look for ways to improve local evaporation and drainage. The degree to which blue-green initiatives benefit from the cooperative use of resources is examined in this research through an analysis of four case studies. The case studies' graphical representation of the blue and green components makes it easier to spot current fixes and gaps in the information. The study emphasises the necessity of a fresh approach to planning that integrates green and blue elements early on. Climate change makes more of them necessary.

3. Barrier identification framework for the implementation of blue and green infrastructures (2020)

In December 2019, a thorough literature study was carried out with the help of the Scopes search engine in order to build the barrier identification framework for green and blue infrastructures. Because Scopes covers a larger area than other academic search and wellbeing benefits. engines, it was selected. The phrases "barrier,""challenge," or "obstacle" were paired with the search terms "green infrastructure" or "blue infrastructure" to search the literature's "title," "keywords," and "abstract" sections. After conference papers were eliminated from the 535 hits that the search produced, only peer reviewed publications remained. The remaining publications' abstracts were perused, and articles that did not raise any issues related to BGI were eliminated along with literature reviews. Articles that addressed certain facets of BGI development or unduly narrow barriers were also eliminated. Forty pieces in all were judged suitable for the current study. From the \ reviewed literature, an extensive list of 56 potential barriers to the development of BGI was created.

4. Landscape and Urban Planning: Planning for green infrastructure using multiple urban ecosystem service models and multicriteria analysis (2022)

The study focuses on multi-criteria analysis and several urban ecosystem service (UES) models for green infrastructure (GI) design in a peri-urban catchment in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The authors evaluated the coexistence and overlap of hotspots amongst various services and found synergies and trade-offs between them. In order to determine the best places for the five GI strategies—urban park development and conservation, headwaters conservation, reforestation for biodiversity, and greening of constructed infrastructure—they carried out a multi-criteria analysis based on criteria related to ecosystem services. The five GI strategies' suitability maps were produced by taking into account various limitations and requirements, such as the overlap of hotspots and cold spots for different UES. The criteria were standardised by the authors from 0 to 1, and they utilised the ecosystem service modelling findings to perform multi-criteria analysis using ecosystem service modelling and normalised criteria. They selected GI strategies based on common green space types in the study area, emphasising their recreational

5. Nature -Based Solutions: A typology for urban Green Infrastructure to guide multifunctional planning of nature-based solutions (2022)

The The article presents a typology of urban green infrastructure (GI) and offers an evaluation, supported by data, of the ecosystem services that each kind of GI offers to address issues specific to cities. Furthermore, covered is the way in which these services work together to provide multi- functionality for the application of Nature- Based Solutions (NBS) in urban planning settings. The typology created in the study can help with decision-making when it comes to tackling significant urban issues through public-private partnerships and governmental interventions. It provides a greater knowledge of the advantages and co-benefits connected with urban GI by integrating the sociological, urban, and biophysical viewpoints. With this knowledge, multifunctional NBS may be designed and implemented, and its benefits can be explained to stakeholders and the general public. Wetlands have relatively few social functions and are ranked 'low' in the typology, whereas blue spaces, such as rivers, lakes, and canals, are rated 'high'. One of the most often mentioned benefits of visiting freshwater blue areas is spending time with family and friends; beaches are especially significant for play between generations.

6. Sustainable Cities and Society: Using satellite imagery to investigate Blue-Green Infrastructure establishment time for urban cooling (2023)

The idea of Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) and how it might help reduce heat-related risks in cities are covered in this study. It emphasises how crucial it is to comprehend a BGI's Cooling Establishment Time (CET), which is the amount of time required for a BGI to provide a consistent cooling performance. The study examines the viability of estimating the CET for several BGI types in Zurich, Switzerland, using satellite data. The findings indicate that remote sensing can help estimate a BGI's CET and measure the effect of the feature on land surface temperature. A longer CET (seven to ten years) is needed for BGIs with trees or climbing plants than for BGIs with grasses or artificial irrigated systems (one to three years). The CET varies based on the type of BGI. The study's methodology can be expanded to assess CET in various climatic circumstances and urban settings with variable urban factors by employing machine learning techniques. Researchers and decision- makers can benefit from the study's methodology in order to balance long-term solutions with short- term retrofits and comprehend the dynamics of BGI cooling over time.

7. Journal of Environmental Management (2023)

The main factors for urban blue-green infrastructure (BGI) are covered in the article, along with the fact that biodiversity conservation is frequently viewed as an inherent advantage rather than a crucial component of planning. The authors stress the significance of BGI's ecological role as linear corridors or "stepping stones" for habitats that are fragmented. The difficulties in implementing and combining quantitative methods for modelling ecological connection in conservation planning with models that aid in BGI planning are discussed in the paper. To prioritise BGI planning initiatives, the authors provide a paradigm that streamlines and incorporates regional connectivity analyses with an emphasis on metropolitan regions. Based on the relative contributions of individual nodes in the regional network, the framework enables the modelling of prospective ecological corridors at a coarse regional scale and the prioritisation of local-scale BGI initiatives. The report shows how to use the framework to rank and identify different priority locations for BGI activities in support of biodiversity enhancement in the lowlands of Switzerland. The authors stress the significance of taking particular environmental factors into account while functionally designing small-scale BGI treatments.

8. Cities: Perceptions and preferences of urban residents for green infrastructure to help cities adapt to climate change threats (2023)

There are relatively few studies examining urban residents' opinions toward green infrastructure in the context of climate change implications. Residents' choices for green infrastructure components are influenced by their sociodemographic profile, which includes factors like gender, educational attainment, and family structure. Users' preferences for components  found in green infrastructure are also influenced by the demographics of their households and their age. Residents of Faro are increasingly conscious of climate change occurrences, which affects how they experience "breathing pure air" during heatwaves. Every city may have different factors that influence how well its residents are aware of heatwaves. The term "green infrastructure" refers to "all natural, semi-natural, and artificial networks of multifunctional ecological systems within, around, and between urban areas, at all spatial scales. "Green infrastructure can offer a variety of personal and societal advantages.

9. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening: Perceptions and preferences of urban residents for green infrastructure to help cities adapt to climate change threats (2023)

Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, the study conducted a systematic review of the ecosystem services (ES) offered by green infrastructure (GI). The examination of 199 papers that met the criteria for eligibility revealed the necessity of tackling several ES at once and conceptualising GI as a strategically designed network of places meant to provide a range of benefits. Systems of indicators capable of accounting for multiple ES were proposed as a result of the use of geo-processing tools and multi-criteria decision analysis. The review looked at the analytical methods applied and the makeup of the participants in the evaluation of GI-related ES. The review's findings shed light on the trends in investigating the ES that GI has been delivering for more than ten years. Policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and consultants may find the review's findings useful for identifying objectives, approaches, joint venture opportunities, and strategies for organising.

VII. DEVELOPMENT

Grey-water refers to wastewater generated from various domestic activities such as bathing, showering, handwashing, laundry, and dishwashing. Unlike sewage or blackwater, which includes wastewater from toilets containing fecal matter, greywater is relatively clean and can be reused for non-potable purposes after appropriate treatment.

A. Significance of Greywater in Sustainable Development

1. Water Conservation
2. Reduced Strain on Infrastructure
3. Energy Savings
4. Climate Resilience
5. Improved Water Quality
6. Promotion of Sustainable Practices

In summary, greywater plays a significant role in sustainable development by conserving water resources, reducing strain on infrastructure, saving energy, enhancing climate resilience, improving water quality, and promoting sustainable practices. Integrating greywater management into water management strategies is essential for advancing sustainability goals and building more resilient and environmentally friendly communities.

B. Overview of Grey-water's Role in Water Conservation and Sustainable Practices :

1. Alternative Water Source
2. Reduced Potable Water Consumption
3. Mitigation of Water Scarcity
4. Infrastructure Load Reduction
5. Energy Savings
6. Economic Benefits
7. Environmental Protection
8. Promotion of Sustainable Practices
9. Integration with Sustainable Development Goals

Greywater plays a crucial role in water conservation and sustainable practices by providing an alternative water source, reducing potable water consumption, mitigating water scarcity, relieving strain on infrastructure, saving energy, promoting economic savings, protecting the environment, and advancing broader sustainability goals. Integrating greywater management into water management strategies is essential for achieving a more sustainable and resilient water future.

VIII. RESULT

1. Average daily water consumption per person: 135 liters
2. Total daily water consumption per apartment = 135 liters/person * 4 persons =    540 liters/apartment.
3. The greywater treatment plant or water reuse system can recycle 30% of the total water consumption.
4. Recycled water = 540 liters/apartment * 0.30 = 162 liters/apartment.
5. Net water requirement = 540 liters/apartment - 162 liters/apartment = 378 liters/apartment.
6. Total water requirement without water reusable syatem = 27,000 litres/day
7. Total water requirement with water reusable system = 378 liters/apartment * 50 apartments = 18,900 liters/day.

Conclusion

1) The research underscores the importance of integrating blue and green infrastructure and grey-water treatment into urban planning and water management strategies. 2) By embracing these approaches, communities can achieve multiple environmental, economic, and social benefits while enhancing resilience to climate change and water scarcity challenges. 3) We have learned about the economical and social benefits 4) How the process of sustainable development is executed about there challenge and impacts on economical aspects and environmental impacts

References

[1] Perceptions and preferences of urban residents for green infrastructure to help cities adapt to climate change threats- Ana Paula Barreira Volume 141, October 2023, 104478 [2] Blue–green architecture: A case study analysis considering the synergetic effects of water and vegetation- Friederike Well Volume 9, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages 191-202 [3] Using Public Participation gis to understand Texas coastal communities’ perceptions and preferences for urban green space development in connection to their perceptions of flood risk-Trang Le-6 April 2024, 128330 [4] Using satellite imagery to investigate Blue Green Infrastructure establishment time for urban cooling-Gobatti, Sustainable Cities and Society 97 (2023) 104768 [5] Corrigendum to ‘Pyrogenic carbon stocks and its spatial variability in soils from savanna forest ecotone in Amazon’ [Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 340, 15 August 2023, 117980]-Journal of Environmental Management 344 (2023) 118600 [6] Barrier identification framework for the implementation of blue and green infrastructures -Jose Manuel ´ Alvarez Martínez- Land Use Policy 99 (2020) 105108 [7] Planning for green infrastructure using multiple urban ecosystem service models and multi-criteria analysis-Karen T. Lourdes, Landscape and Urban Planning 226 (2022) 104500 [8] Cost-effective restoration and conservation planning in Green and Blue Infrastructure designs. A case study on the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean: Andalusia (Spain) – Morocco- Gonzalo Delacámara, Science of the Total Environment 652 (2019) 1463–1473

Copyright

Copyright © 2024 Rahul Meemrot, RS Laxman Meena, Neeraj Derwal, Prashant Meena, Soheb Balkh, Jetender B. Jangid. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.