A combined legal-hydrological evaluation method for Green Infrastructure in urban Costa Rica

authored by

Conrad W. Schiffmann, Jose Ricardo Bonilla Brenes, Jochen Hack

Abstract

When it comes to implementing green infrastructure in urban areas, past research emphasized the lack of knowledge of decision-makers as one of the main challenges. Hydrological performance and service delivery uncertainties often circumvent a decision favoring sustainable solutions. In addition, there are also doubts about the legal framework and possibilities of implementation.This study develops a combined legal-hydrological evaluation method for green infrastructure in urban Costa Rica. First, the potential of four types of retrofitted green infrastructure elements to reduce stormwater runoff was calculated by hydrological modeling at a neighborhood scale, considering site-specific constraints. Second, the legal complexity of the intervention in the public space resulting from the construction of the four elements was investigated through qualitative expert interviews in the form of focal groups. Finally, by linking the results of the two previous steps, this study presents an interdisciplinary evaluation of the impact and the probability of immediate realization of the four green infrastructure types. By ranking the four proposed solutions, an explicit recommendation for action was made, e.g., for the riparian municipalities of the river Quebrada Seca.The combined results of this study provide a more versatile vision of evaluation possibilities for the feasibility of green infrastructure in public spaces in retrofitting contexts. The results provide information about which technical and legal information is relevant for implementing urban green infrastructure and how important this body of knowledge is in the decision-making process.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Environmental Planning

Type

Conference article

Journal

Proceedings of the IAHR World Congress

Pages

SS-181

ISSN

2521-7119

Publication date

2022

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Engineering (miscellaneous), Civil and Structural Engineering, Ocean Engineering, Water Science and Technology

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC2521-71192022SS2039 (Access: Closed)
https://www.iahr.org/library/infor?pid=21663 (Access: Closed)