Using Water-Sensitive Urban Design to improve drainage capacity

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) integrates water cycle management into urban planning and design. When applying the WSUD practices to urban areas, environmental degradation can be minimized, while improving aesthetic and recreational appeal at the same time. However, the effects of WSUD measures on water flow regimes are not fully known. The objective of the research was to determine suitable WSUD measures for a catchment in Adelaide, Australia by producing an updated and more reliable rainfall-runoff model using historical flow data. After this, the use of several suitable WSUD measures were simulated on the catchment to gain insight into their effect on drainage capacity.