Essay On Urban Design

INTRODUCTION

Water-Sensitive Urban Design is the process by which the built environment in urban areas is combined with water cycle management principles to increase the sustainability and liveability of the area. The process focuses on both natural environment and built environment in urban areas to maintain their qualities. Water cycle is the major factor that the design aims to use so that the efficiency of urban areas is kept at an optimum level. The design part of the process uses principles of engineering to come up with most suitable structures as a means to improving the infrastructure of the area whilst accommodating better usage of water through water cycle. Water is received in the area through many ways, all of which are taken into account when planning and designing these infrastructures. This method helps decrease the risk of flooding during events when water is received in abundant, prevents water scarcity, accommodates better climate changes, positively influences economy and decreases chances of excessive waste generation, among others.

South Africa as a developing country faces many challenges in sustaining water. Water scarcity all over the country is a common issue resulting from failure to portably

The effects of stormwater are very crucial to the development of an urban. In the natural environment, water drains in the soil, precipitates in plants and some flows naturally to rivers, ponds and lakes. Urban areas are filled with impervious pavements and structures that decreases the infiltration and precipitation rate compared to natural areas thus surface run-off is higher. This may result into many negative factors including washing away of pavements, soil erosion and waste generation thus land pollution. To reduce this, one must take sustainability into account by using Water Sensitive Urban Design to harvest stormwater and use it for important