Designing Sponge Cities for multiple benefits: integrating nature-based solutions to create sustainable places (DeSCIPHER) Main case study CEH (Europe lead: Mike Hutchins), University of Surrey, NIVA, University of Oslo, CAS Institute of Urban Environment (Xiamen) (China lead: Shen Yu), Tsinghua University (Beijing), Earthwatch

Sponge Cities: a major recent Chinese initiative Sponge Cities: Replacing impermeable surfaces with wetlands, green rooftops and rain gardens means stormwater is absorbed back into the land, making water work for the city instead of against it Bicester: 1980s district Bicester: 2010s district Flooded street, Wuhan. Photo: AFP/Getty Terminology: Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) Green Infrastructure Low Impact Development Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems Permeable pavements, Lingang. Photo: Helen Roxburgh

wider hinterland, airshed, downstream … Bringing it all together: multi-domain framework How do changes in climate and societal drivers affect the co- benefits and trade- offs between a range of environmental quality indicators arising from implementing NBS? Heat Noise Evaluating NBS at a range of scales Air quality Soil quality local neighbourhood Water quality Green space access whole city wider hinterland, airshed, downstream … Flood risk Environmental quality indicators Biodiversity

Public use of urban parks; and business engagement Use of social media and other volunteered geographic information… …urban green space: 1) map its use 2) identify how to improve equitable access. How can business innovation be incentivised to provide or contribute to NBS?

Expected results A tool for assessing co-benefits and trade-offs arising from NBS implementation. Definition of how environmental impacts at larger scales inform the choice of solutions adopted in urban areas Evidence-based recommendations on design criteria and management strategies - to be applied when developing NBS to optimise co-benefits

Previous work: ecosystem services 1. Atmospheric chemistry transport models calculate health benefits of urban vegetation via pollution removal 2. Spatial models calculate which houses benefit from noise reduction by trees 3. Riparian shade: shade maps from canopy surface models enable simulation of water quality benefits (cooler water and suppressed eutrophication) Reduces upper quartile temperature by 1.1 ⁰C in River Thames, UK. e.g. vegetation benefits

Natural source Vehicle exhaust Coal combustion Thank you! DeSCIPHER Designing Sponge Cities through Innovation, Policy, Health and Environmental Research Example of previous work: Lead in sediment cores along an urban gradient: 5 sites in Shanghai: Urban core …. developed …. developing Natural source Vehicle exhaust Coal combustion