Brief update on LILa construction

Due to the permitting processes being rounded off, work on the LILa site is finally scheduled to start this September! In this initial phase the ground work consisting of utility cables and pipes (electricity, water, sewage, data) will be developed. Further subsurface placement of sensors for other LILa projects will take place as much as possible in combination with these excavations. Any subsurface path/road foundations can also be laid. I'm looking forward to the project finally taking shape in real life.

World Water Week

From 20-24 August it is World Water Week. As per the organizers, "World Water Week 2023 is focused on innovation at a time of unprecedented challenges. The theme Seeds of Change: Innovative Solutions for a Water-Wise World invites us to rethink how we manage water. Which ideas, innovations, and governance systems will we need in a more unstable and water scarce world?"

Green infrastructure can do a lot to help this goal.We have seen unprecedented rainfall events this summer hitting the Netherlands as extreme climate events are intensifying. Storm Poly even led to a death in the affected areas. Having more options to handle precipitation, in the form of green infrastructure, can help reduce and delay the peaks of storm floods. However, it must be planned with the same care as other infrastructure, both above and below the ground surface. 

Here we see an example when trees did not get sufficient space to develop their roots below ground and instead of helping to reduce water loads and prevent flooding, damaged an entire row of houses.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/05/storm-poly-netherlands-germany-sting-jet/

If we look at green roofs, especially blue-green roofs, these can also collect water to be used at a later time, thus alleviating water scarcity. The collected water can be used to water a garden, wash a car, flush toilets, and other uses depending on a country's water quality laws. For drinking water, it must first be purified and treated to remove possible pollutants and pathogens. 

So we see that when it comes to water management, green infrastructure can help reduce negative impacts of climate change such as flooding, and reduce water scarcity. Green infrastructure does require water as well, meaning more insight in the water balance is required.

Examples of Green Infrastructure: wadis

Wadis, as constructed in the Netherlands, are based on a natural principle from northern Africa and southwest Asia, where gullies or streams stay dry unless it is the rainy season. As green infrastructure, it is a natural area with lowered ground surface that has the capacity to hold water when it rains.

Three examples in Enschede show different approaches to this principle. The first example shows a wadi made next to the main street, connected to a new sewage system that anticipates larger rain storms and has a higher storage capacity.

The second example shows a specialized drainage system starting at the roofs of the houses, where rainwater is redirected towards the center of the street, instead of the gutters normally found on the sides of the street. From the center of the street, shallow gullies move the water towards a nearby pond.

 

The third example has a park where a wadi is made, with special stepping stones for children to play in, whether it is dry or wet. 

All of these examples help delay and decrease flood peaks, and help restore ground water levels.

Examples of GI: making use of space in a park

In the South of Enschede there is a narrow band of land wedged between the highway and houses, where a main power cable runs above ground. This is an area traditionally barred from construction as it might interfere with the electricity supply. This area has been transformed into a park with multiple functions.

As you can see in the movies, the principle of wadis for water storage is applied here too. Artificially height differences have been introduced into this landscape, and the wadis are combined with large stepping stones for visitors to play on. 

Other functions in this park are to increase biodiversity through means of pollinator attracting plant species and an insect hotel. Enschede is the first city in the province Overijssel to officially be a Bee City. Some people might consider this part of nature to be messy. People occaissionally call the municipality to ask if the area can be mowed and the high plants removed. But these are very important for the insects in the Netherlands, as well as hedgehogs.

You can read/see more at this link (Dutch): Enschede is the bee city of Overijssel