The potential of Blue-Green infrastructure as a climate change adaptation strategy: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) consists of natural and semi-natural systems implemented to mitigate climate change impacts in urban areas, including elevated air temperatures and flooding. This study is a state-of-the-art review that presents recent research on BGI by identifying and critically evaluating published studies that considered urban heat island mitigation and stormwater management as potential benefits. Thirty-two records were included in the review, with the majority of studies published after 2015. Findings indicate that BGI effectively controls urban runoff and mitigates urban heat, with the literature being slightly more focused on stormwater management than urban heat island mitigation. Among BGI, the studies on blue- and blue-green roofs focused on one benefit at a time (i.e. thermal or hydrologic performance) and did not consider promoting multiple benefits simultaneously. Two-thirds of the selected studies were performed on a large urban scale, with computer modelling and sensor monitoring being the predominant assessment methods. Compared with typical Green Infrastructure (GI), and from a design perspective, many crucial questions on BGI performance, particularly on smaller urban scales, remain unanswered. Future research will have to continue to explore the performance of BGI, considering the identified gaps. HIGHLIGHTS Findings on blue-green infrastructure (BGI) are reviewed considering UHI mitigation and stormwater management.; BGI effectiveness to UHI mitigation is influenced by geographic and climatic conditions.; BGI can better manage stormwater than green infrastructure.; Barriers to BGI implementation include lack of multilevel coordination, budget constraints and absence of risk reduction frameworks.;

Keywords

• blue-green infrastructure
• blue-green roofs
• blue infrastructure
• climate change
• stormwater management
• urban heat island