The Role of Urban Water Management for the Real Estate Planning Process: The Example of an Integrated Development of Urban Waterside Areas for Residential and Working Uses

In times of urbanisation and blooming industries urban areas are usually marked by a sealed and highly compressed soil. Furthermore natural areas and waters lose their originally structure. Combined with increasing precipitation times in winter and heavy rainfall events in summer, floods can be expected. They can cause personal injury and property damages as well as the derivation of waste water into surface waters, what would lead to a pollution of the latter.

Regulations as the “Wasserrahmenrichtlinie”, which requires “good conditions” of all waters, emphasize a need for change in the future. Therefore innovative urban water management concepts have to be developed and involved in urban real estate planning processes. They have to ensure that areas get unsealed and retention areas can be placed for instance.

Within the framework of this doctoral thesis it should be examined how structures of urban water economy can be involved in urban planning processes. The aim of the thesis is to work out recommendations for a near-natural rainwater management of flexible use. Furthermore structurally aesthetics and value added effects should be connected with a sustainable economy. The Media Port in Düsseldorf should serve as an example to carry out a review at the local settlement level and to enable synergistic effects.

Team

  • PhD student: Dr. Katharina Thöne
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Sigrid Schaefer (IUBH, Real Estate Management)
  • Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Martin Denecke (UDE, Engineering)
  • Mentor: Markus van Rickelen (CBRE, Düsseldorf)