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Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) in Dense Urban Watersheds. The Case of the Medrano Stream Basin (MSB) in Buenos Aires

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  • Daniel Kozak

    (Centro de Estudios Urbanos y Regionales CEUR-CONICET/Centro de Investigación Hábitat y Energía, Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Saavedra 15, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1083, Argentina)

  • Hayley Henderson

    (Centro de Estudios Urbanos y Regionales CEUR-CONICET/Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University, JG Crawford Building, 132 Lennox Crossing, Canberra ACT 2600, Australia)

  • Alejandro de Castro Mazarro

    (Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, Weberplatz 1, 01217 Dresden, Germany)

  • Demián Rotbart

    (Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina)

  • Rodolfo Aradas

    (Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Paseo Colón 850, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1063, Argentina)

Abstract

Conventional urban drainage approaches have historically focused on the volume of stormwater to be displaced with the aim of moving it as fast and as far as possible from the city. They have also been negligent regarding water quality and the inherent value of watercourses to distinct forms of life in cities, from maintaining biodiversity to providing recreational space for residents. Contemporary responses to these issues point to a paradigm change: They seek to replicate the natural mechanisms of absorption and retention, with the aim of addressing pluvial drainage needs closer to the site of origin. This article aims to explore the extent to which such an approach could be accommodated in one dense and highly impervious setting in the Global South. Specifically, it compares urban morphology, land value, hydraulic performance, and politico-institutional conditions of grey and Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) scenarios in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The findings suggest that even in very dense and impervious urban basins it is possible to implement BGI with a significant effect in achieving urban-sustainability goals. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that it is possible to deculvert watercourses in line with Compact City principles through the development of hybrid BGI/grey-infrastructure systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Kozak & Hayley Henderson & Alejandro de Castro Mazarro & Demián Rotbart & Rodolfo Aradas, 2020. "Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) in Dense Urban Watersheds. The Case of the Medrano Stream Basin (MSB) in Buenos Aires," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-30, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:6:p:2163-:d:331285
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Byungsun Yang & Dongkun Lee, 2021. "Urban Green Space Arrangement for an Optimal Landscape Planning Strategy for Runoff Reduction," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-12, August.
    2. Aline Pires Veról & Ianic Bigate Lourenço & João Paulo Rebechi Fraga & Bruna Peres Battemarco & Mylenna Linares Merlo & Paulo Canedo de Magalhães & Marcelo Gomes Miguez, 2020. "River Restoration Integrated with Sustainable Urban Water Management for Resilient Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-36, June.
    3. Olga Palusci & Carlo Cecere, 2022. "Urban Ventilation in the Compact City: A Critical Review and a Multidisciplinary Methodology for Improving Sustainability and Resilience in Urban Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-44, March.
    4. Agnieszka Ptak-Wojciechowska & Anna Januchta-Szostak & Agata Gawlak & Magda Matuszewska, 2021. "The Importance of Water and Climate-Related Aspects in the Quality of Urban Life Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-24, June.

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