Abstract

This paper will treat about water influence and possibility of its usage in the urban neighborhood structures (e.g. districts, real estate properties, town parts) in the context of actual regional environmental problems and according to directories determined by European targets. It is not rare yet in the basic stage of urban design that water is treated as a threat, not a chance. In result planned structures are often built, for example, on hills on the one hand escaping from water but in reality creating new water-related problems (e.g. “the end of the stream/ channel/ pipe” problem). Hardening of the permeable top soil, wetlands drainage, channeling streams and even rivers, building concrete reservoirs without public entrance – everything a (never ending) combat with the element. However, since the down of history, still until now, many communities around the world have been living without any conflict with surrounding water - treating it as a gift of nature. Wetlands, rivers, lakes characterize of biodiversity, both: fauna and flora. It is one the reasons of using it as a natural resource and development direction in improving the city quality of life. But there are many more contemporary possibilities of its usage: waterside offers to surrounding residents recreation places and sport activities (even some winter sports); aquatic organisms are used for water treatment and its plants for energy produce (algae panels or biomass combustion); research reinvented aquaponics as a harvesting and breeding which could be massively use in urban food production (it helps harvesting without need of top soil what is necessary to maintain wastelands, rooftops etc.); elevation differences of the terrain helps not only in energy produce but also in its kinetic storage and trading (depending on net energy price) for local use. The paper will scrutinize contemporary worldwide cases in modern (re)inventions of water usage in the urban neighborhood structures such as: aquaponics, micro-hydro-power plants, bio-water-treatment or algae energy produce. Above examples fit in local problems, especially in lack of drinkable water or flood risk. As a result author will show the possibilities of combining multiple cases from different points of view: neighborhood autonomy, safety and flood prevention, energy diversification. +Prezentacja, 12 slajdów

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