Water Sensitive Urban Design

Water Sensitive urban design is the integration of urban planning and development with the management, protection and conservation of the water cycle as a whole.

The key principles of water-sensitive urban design, as stated in the Urban Stormwater – Best Practice Environmental Management Guidelines, are:

• Protect natural systems – protect and enhance natural water systems within urban developments
• Integrate stormwater treatment into the landscape – use stormwater in the landscape by incorporating multiple use corridors that maximise the visual and recreational amenity of developments
• Protect water quality – improve the quality of water draining from urban developments into the receiving environment
• Reduce run-off and peak flows – reduce peak flows from urban development by local detention measures and minimise impervious areas
• Add value while minimising development costs – minimise the drainage infrastructure cost of the development.

A range of applications are available for the integration of water-sensitive urban design concepts and technologies into urban developments. Types of techniques include (but are not limited to):

• grassed or vegetated swales – primary treatment and conveyance function; can provide secondary treatment benefits
• filtration trenches – primary treatment and conveyance and detention options; can provide secondary treatment benefits
• bio-retention systems – secondary treatment, conveyance, detention and retention functions (through infiltration); can provide tertiary treatment benefits
• wetlands – tertiary treatment system, storage, detention, possible reuse options
• rainwater tanks – using stormwater as a resource – detention, retention, a substitute for drinking water in garden irrigation, car washing, toilet flushing, etc
• grey water reuse – collect from households, primary treatment on site, reuse for external irrigation or internal toilet flushing options
• rain gardens, rooftop greening, urban forests – provide natural vegetated features of aesthetic value and provide treatment function by filtering stormwater
• any combination of these and other techniques for the best possible outcome.

Visit the Water Sensitive Urban Design Program for further information.