WATER IN THE CITY IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

IN THE LAST DECADES WE BECAME WITNESSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON EVERYDAY LIFE IN URBAN LANDSCAPE. HEATWAVES AND DROUGHTS IN SUMMER MONTHS WERE ALTERNATED BY FLASH FLOODS WITH THE ASSOCIATED THREAT OF WATERCOURSES

GETTING OUT FROM THE RIVERBED. ONE TIME, THERE WAS A LITTLE AMOUNT OF WATER IN THE CITY, THEN THERE WAS TOO MUCH WATER.

EXTREME WEATHER FLUCTUATIONS HAVE BECOME MORE FREQUENT, BUT MOST CITIES ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THEM.

GREEN CITIES ARE MORE DURABLE TO THESE FLUCTUATIONS, BUT ONLY GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IS BECOMING NOT ENOUGH.

THE ADAPTATION FOR CLIMATE CHANGE REQUIRES ALSO INTEGRATION OF A BLUE INFRASTRUCTURE, THEREFORE WATER IN THE CITY PLAYS AN ESSENTIAL ROLE…

THE MAIN MESSAGE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO REALIZE THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, EVEN SMALLER TOWNS CAN BE ADAPTED BY USING NATURE-FRIENDLY MODIFICATIONS OF WATERCOURSES AND INTEGRATION OF THE ELEMENTS OF BLUE AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE.

THE AIM IS ALSO TO SHOW AN IMPORTANCE OF NATURAL LANDSCAPE, WHERE THE WATER CAN SPILL BEFORE IT AFFECTS THE URBAN AREA.

SUCH A PLACE CAN ALSO BECOME A RECREATION AREA, WHICH IMPORTANCE IS UNQUESTIONABLE, AS IT WAS SEEN DURING PANDEMIC.

THE PROJECT SITE IS LOCATED AROUND A SHORT STREAM AT THE EDGE OF A MINOR TOWN SVITAVY IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, WHICH LANDSCAPE IS MAINLY AGRICULTURAL. DUE TO A LOT OF WATER SPRINGS IN THE PROJECT AREA, THE LAND USED TO BE MELIORATE IN THE LAST CENTURY. WHAT INITIALLY SEEMED LIKE A GOOD SOLUTION IS NOWADAYS A PROBLEM, BECAUSE THE STRAIGHT WATER COURSE ACCELERATES AND MAY CAUSE FLOODING IN SUBSEQUENT URBAN AREA.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE TOWN IS GROWING AND THE RESIDENCE AROUND THE PROJECTED STREAM IS GRADUALLY EXPANDING. NEW INHABITANTS THEREFORE NEED SAFE HABITATION AND ALSO A RECREATION AREA.

ANALYTICAL PART

THE ANALYTICAL PART WAS FOCUSED ON LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS AS WELL AS MORE DETAILED ANALYZES ON A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE OF THE STUDENÝ STREAM IN SVITAVY TOWN.

THE LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS WAS DONE IN THE CATCHMENT AREA OF THE STREAM AND EXAMINES RELATION BETWEEN PRIMARY LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE (NATURAL CONDITIONS) AND SECONDARY LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE (CURRENT USE). THE CONCLUSITION IS, THAT THERE ARE SOME CONFLICTS. FIRSTLY, THE PRESENCE OF CONIFER WOODS IN THE AREA OF NATURAL OCCURENCE OF DECIDUOUS WOODS ( ) IS ALARMING IN TERMS OF REDUCED ECOSYSTEM RESISTANCE THE MONOCULTURES CAN BE EASILY ATTACKED BY PESTS AND ORIGINATED GLADES CAN THEN CONTRIBUTE TO THE RAPID OUTFLOW OF WATER FROM THE LANDSCAPE. ANOTHER PROBLEM OCCURES WITH ARABLE LAND, WHICH IS IN SOME PARTS SIGNIFICANTLY SLOPE WITH THE PRESENCE OF WATER EROSION ( ). THIRDLY, MELIORATED, REGULATED AND PARTIALLY PIPED WATERCOURSES ( ) ARE PROOF THAT THE SPACE FOR WATER WAS NOT PERCEIVED AS PRIMARILY IMPORTANT. SUCH A SITUATION WAS PARTLY SOLVED BY BUILDING HUGE RETENTION TANK

THE STUDENÝ STREAM IS A 3 KILOMETRES LONG WATERCOURSE WITH LARGE CATCHMENT AREA. THE FLOW WAS ANALYSED FROM MANY POINTS OF VIEW, WITH THE USE OF WATER MANAGEMENT CALCULATION IN ORDER TO DESIGN THE STREAMBED PROPERLY.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

THE PROJECTED AREA IS LOCATED IN THE SUBURB OF THE TOWN. THE RETENTION TANK ABOVE THE RAILWAY HAS THE TASK OF HOLDING BACK THE FLOOD WAVE, THAT COULD AFFECT NOT ONLY THE TOWN, BUT ALSO FOLLOW-UP MUNICIPALITIES. THE AREA BENEATH RAILWAY IS CURRENTLY ARABLE LAND AND RUDERAL GROWTH, BUT ACCORDING TO ZONING STUDY, ON WHICH THE PROJECT WAS BASED, THERE ARE GOING TO BE CHANGES. THE STUDY DESIGNED A NEW BUILT UP AREA WITH PUBLIC SPACE AROUND THE STREAM, IN WHICH UNFORTUNATELY THE SHAPE OF THE STREAM WAS NOT REFLECTING CURRENT REQUIREMENTS.

CONCEPT

MAIN THEME: SUSTAINABILITY

• DELAY OF WATER OUTFLOW FROM THE TERRITORY (ECONOMIC ASPECT)

- NATURE-FRIENDLY WATERCOURSE

- POSSIBILITY OF OVERFLOW

• PROMOTION OF THE NATURAL ELEMENT (ECOLOGICAL ASPECT)

- SUPPORTING HABITAT FUNCTION

- DESIGN OF ACCOMPANYING VEGETATION

• USE OF RECREATIONAL POTENTIAL (SOCIAL ASPECT)

- DEFINITION OF FUNCTIONAL ZONES ALONG THE WATERCOURSE

- CREATE A WALKING CIRCUIT

- DESIGN OF CIVIC AMENITIES

CONCEPTUAL PRINCIPALS

MEANDER, STRUCTURED, NATURE-FRIENDLY STREAMBED

WIDE ALLUVIAL PLAIN WITH MILD SLOPES AND SOFTLY GROOVED STREAMBED FOR NORMAL FLOWS

THE MAIN IDEA OF THE DESIGN IS TO MAKE MAXIMUM USE OF THE POTENTIAL OF THE WATERCOURSE.

THE PROPOSAL OF A NEWLY OPENED AND MODIFICATION OF THE EXISTING STREAMBED OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES FOR WATER RETENTION, SUPPORT FOR BIODIVERSITY AND INCREASE RECREATIONAL POTENTIAL. THEREFORE THE

WAY-OUT IS TO CREATE MORE EFFECTIVE RETENTION SYSTEM WITH RECREATION FUNCTION, AS WELL AS A FUNCTION OF A NATURAL BIOTOP.

DUE TO DIFFERENT CONDITIONS ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE PROPOSED FLOW WAS THE DESIGNED AREA DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL ZONES, ACCORDING TO THE PREDOMINANT FUNCTION.

STABILIZATION OF THE FORD WITH RIVERBED ROCKS

STEPPING STONES FOR MOVEMENT FROM ONE BANK TO ANOTHER

WETLAND HABITAT NEAR THE STREAMBED BANK VEGETATION

VISUALISATION