PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
According to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2014) - Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, changes in extreme rainfall events of short duration may have significant impacts on urban drainage systems and pluvial flooding. Results so far indicate more problems with sewer sub charging, sewer flooding, and more frequent combined sewer overflow spills. Budapest is among the highest risk areas in Hungary. The topography of Budapest, especially in the hilly Buda side (e.g. BP12), makes this problem even more serious. Due to the complexity of drought and floods (which are among Hungary’s main risks according to the national disaster risk assessment), natural and infrastructural retention of rainwater in urban areas should be prioritised. Heavy rainfall and storm surges would impact urban areas through flooding, which in turn can lead to destruction of properties and public infrastructure, contamination of water sources, waterlogging, loss of businesses and livelihoods, and an increase in water-borne and water-related diseases. In line with trends, heavy rainstorms, flooding and urban havoc (street closures, vehicle damage, power outages and more) seem the “new normal” in Budapest, especially in the selected target areas where, due to topographic conditions (district 12 and partly district 18) or an extremely dense urban fabric with a very low level of greenery (district 7), this problem is accelerated. Budapest has a dual self-government system: the city consists of the main local government of Budapest which is subdivided into 23 district municipalities with individual - political and administrative - governance structures for their areas.
OBJECTIVES
LIFE in RUNOFF’s main objective is to support urban climate change adaptation by enabling synergies between public stormwater investment/maintenance and stimulating private stormwater blue-green infrastructure (mainly ecosystem-based) to efficiently reduce the impact of stormwater runoff on fragile urban infrastructure (e.g. the sewer system, roads and buildings).
The project seeks to put into practice, evaluate and disseminate approaches for private stormwater infrastructure tools and governance approaches stimulating them, as well as effective municipal solutions and tools complementing them. It aims to do so through the installation of blue-green infrastructure which reduces the severity of stormwater flows in 3 districts of Budapest, building upon their topographic and socio-economic characteristics.
LIFE in RUNOFF will take up the results and experience of the LIFE-MICACC project (LIFE16 CCA/HU/000115).
The specific objectives are to:
- Integrate climate change adaptation into local urban policies, regulatory frameworks and investments based on city- and neighborhood-level climate models and vulnerability assessments;
- Reduce the negative impacts of stormwater runoff on fragile urban infrastructure in different urban zones, by demonstrating the potential role of private stormwater infrastructure (mainly green infrastructure such as green roofs, rain gardens, permeable surfaces and barrels for irrigation) through a public-private management model, as well as enhancing the resilience of public stormwater storage capacity;
- Enhance local dialogue and governance in adaptation planning, based on increased information sharing with all stakeholders by using local urban climate data, vulnerability assessments and demonstration results; and
- Develop business models to increase private stormwater storage capacity (mainly ecosystem-based) to manage rainwater on site and provide multiple benefits through boosting green infrastructure initiatives, ensuring a better urban climate, lower flooding risks and more greenery.
The project supports the EU’s strategy on adaptation to climate change; it will create better informed decision-making opportunities, while also focusing on both infrastructure-related stormwater interventions and community-based solutions to make fragile infrastructure more resilient without expensive interventions, as well as creating business models and legislation scenarios to support ecosystem-based approaches. By emphasising joint solutions and preparedness to reduce stormwater runoff, the project will enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change. Therefore, it is fully in line with the Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal and the European Climate Pact.
RESULTS
Expected results:
- Local climate model including a local vulnerability assessment and stormwater runoff model replicable for other cities;
- 4 climate change adaptation plans(for districts 7, 12 and 18 and for Budapest as a whole) as well as 9 city-level roadmaps linked to stormwater management and related climate change adaptation methods, including ecosystem-based approaches;
- Beyond the project, the stormwater management and related adaptation measures will be embedded in all 23 districts’ strategic documents through the coordination of Budapest;
- Launch of broad public-private cooperation models by most districts in Budapest stimulating private stormwater infrastructure tools. Most districts will also work on climate change adaptation plans based on local vulnerability assessments;
- Improved resilience for water catchment area of almost 1,600 ha and stormwater reduction of 98,000 m3 per year through demonstration actions;
- Enhanced local dialogue between residents, scientists and decision makers, using local urban climate data, vulnerability assessment and demonstration results;
- Professional guidelines, a training programme, various communication and dissemination tools, and a set of policy recommendations resulting in the engagement of 40 policy-makers and improved skills for more than 200 people. 10% of Budapest’s population to be made more aware about the project’s theme, with 53,000 people changing their attitudes to “rainwater”, actively using stormwater retention solutions;
- Cooperation models, incentives and grant schemes to support the spread of private stormwater infrastructure tools; and
- Private funding of €33,000 for the installation of private stormwater infrastructure tools.
