Water sensitive residential developments: Application of LIUDD principles and methods in the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

One method of enhancing the health of receiving water ecosystems is to ensure that local plans and practices guiding urban development are underpinned by appropriate design principles. This paper reports on a policy and practices framework developed in New Zealand, and investigates the uptake and implementation of Low Impact Urban Design and Development (LIUDD). A hierarchy of LIUDD principles has been developed as a foundation for policy development in statutory and non-statutory plans and guidelines. Each principle is accompanied by practical implementation methods using sustainable technologies in a local context. Greenfield developments in urban growth areas in the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand are assessed with respect to elements of the framework. The assessments show that the LIUDD principles are relevant internationally across greenfield developments of similar town and catchment scales. Application of the principles can inform decision makers so that they become more critically aware of aquatic sustainability imperatives in the urban design and redevelopment process.

Keywords:

• Low Impact Urban Design and Development
• water sensitive urban design
• catchment management
• urban water planning

Notes

1. 10–12 households per hectare (Harland 2010).

2. Effective impervious areas: are those that drain or discharge directly to waterways without interception by porous surfaces or stormwater treatment devices.