• AMS Institute

• Door studenten

• Natuur & Milieu,
• Water

Designing dynamic water storage systems to mitigate drought stress in urban environments

MADE Student Project

As a result of ongoing climate change, urban environments are put under increasing pressure from extreme weather events. Insufficient research is being done into the modeling of urban drought resilience. Most urban drought resilience and water network optimization models are designed for city-scale demand with regional water supply networks and vegetation water demand models generally address agricultural systems. This research addresses this gap by developing a neighborhood-scale digital representation of the Bajeskwartier water system to assess drought resilience while incorporating the local vegetation water demand. Starting with a system thinking perspective, the interconnections of soil moisture processes in the local water systems provide the base of the model.
By incorporating scenario analyses on climate change projections and vegetation types, the water demand and drought sensitivity patterns become clear. Furthermore, the implementation of an optimization solver to assess a rainwater capture, storage, and irrigation system results in a robust water system. The system proves to have sufficient capacity to prevent drought stress in a 1-in-30-year drought.
This research not only contributes to enhancing urban drought resilience within the Bajeskwartier but also provides a valuable foundation for future studies in similar urban contexts. It emphasizes the importance of considering local vegetation water demand and climate change scenarios in urban water system modeling, highlighting the need for tailored approaches to address evolving climate-induced challenges in urban environments.
As a result of ongoing climate change, urban environments are put under increasing pressure from extreme weather events. Insufficient research is being done into the modeling of urban drought resilience. Most urban drought resilience and water network optimization models are designed for city-scale demand with regional water supply networks and vegetation water demand models generally address agricultural systems. This research addresses this gap by developing a neighborhood-scale digital representation of the Bajeskwartier water system to assess drought resilience while incorporating the local vegetation water demand. Starting with a system thinking perspective, the interconnections of soil moisture processes in the local water systems provide the base of the model.
By incorporating scenario analyses on climate change projections and vegetation types, the water demand and drought sensitivity patterns become clear. Furthermore, the implementation of an optimization solver to assess a rainwater capture, storage, and irrigation system results in a robust water system. The system proves to have sufficient capacity to prevent drought stress in a 1-in-30-year drought.
This research not only contributes to enhancing urban drought resilience within the Bajeskwartier but also provides a valuable foundation for future studies in similar urban contexts. It emphasizes the importance of considering local vegetation water demand and climate change scenarios in urban water system modeling, highlighting the need for tailored approaches to address evolving climate-induced challenges in urban environments.

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