Experimental Curb System for Enhancing Urban Sustainability Through Rainwater Guidance and Retention: Examining Passive Design Solutions Through Simulation

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study investigates the effects of passive design applications to standard roadside curb design by comparing water retention capacity and surface flow behavior, exploring the effects of passive design onto urban components. The objective of this research is to understand the effects of passive design that could promote water retention and guidance to improve Green Infrastructure (GI) and rainwater management to provide low energy solutions whilst looking into the feasibility of these applications to address the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect.
A 3D model of a typical street in South Korea was sampled and digitalized to serve as the base for the simulation. The model was then given a variation of a curb typology design and geometry under controlled simulation boundary conditions. Each design configuration was simulated to quantify the volumetric rainfall retention and understand the direction of surface flow upon contact between the rainwater and simulation surface.
This framework allowed a controlled comparison of the curb designs and inclinations. The resulting data allowed evaluation based on the data, providing insight and evaluation on the design based on its performance of water retention for vegetation growth and effective runoff guidance towards GI via water guidance, ultimately providing support urban vegetation whilst avoiding water loss towards grey infrastructure.
The simulation data shows results where Design C retained more water than their alternatives, highlighting the critical role of curb typology and geometry in influencing its performance. Specifically, the design’s extrusion potentially encourages more water guidance, which shows direct cause and effect of the design’s influence. Designs A and B incorporate shallow detention pockets, which show characteristics of temporary retention and certain levels of run-off. However, it provides insight into which designs with more similar levels still work, which raises the issue of possible applications and feasibility when it comes to manufacturing, installation and maintenance.
The results of the current study highlight the performance of the curb design as an inherent passive storm water management approach in the setting of the urban streetscapes. The geometric modifications, given the simple yet effective design requirements, represent a risky direction of retrofit uses, requiring small financial investments and construction operations at the same time, aiming at strategies of improving the urban conditions under realistic conditions. Taken together, this research enhances the field of urban planning and design by expressing certain curb-level interventions that allow incorporating water-retention functionalities into the existing street profiles. Such approaches of methodologies have the potential to strengthen green infrastructure systems and increase mitigation in the face of Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• ABSTRACT i
• 국문 초록 iii
• TABLE OF CONTENTS v
• LIST OF TABLES vii
• LIST OF FIGURES viii
• CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1
• 1.1 Research Background 1
• 1.2 Research Objectives and Rationale 4
• 1.3 Scope and Method 5
• CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 8
• 2.1 Urban Heat Island (UHI) Drivers and Roadside Environments 8
• 2.2 Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Management 10
• 2.3 Curb Geometry and Runoff Inflow Mechanisms 13
• 2.4 Surface Geometry and Raindrop Behavior 15
• 2.5 Hypothesis 17
• 2.5.1 Hypothesis 1: Effect of Curb Height 17
• 2.5.2 Hypothesis 2: Effect of Curb Angle 18
• 2.5.3 Hypothesis 3: Combined Effects of Height and Inclination 19
• CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH FRAMEWORK 20
• 3.1 Overview of the Research Framework 20
• 3.2 Data Acquisition and Simulation Procedure 24
• 3.3 Model Setup Conditions 27
• 3.4 Rainfall Conditions and Raindrop Formulation 30
• CHAPTER 4. ANALYSIS AND RESULTS 34
• 4.1 Experimental Design and Repeated Simulations 34
• 4.2 Statistical Analysis: Descriptive Statistics and Group Comparisons 39
• 4.3 ANOVA and Correlation Analysis Results 43
• 4.4 Regression Results and Interpretation 46
• 4.5 Key Observations 48
• 4.5.1 Effects of Height and Issues of Consistency 49
• 4.5.2 Angle Sensitivity and Stability 50
• 4.5.3 Ecological Potential and Feasibility of Moss Application 51
• 4.6 Hypothesis Tests 51
• 4.6.1 Hypothesis 1: Relationship Between Curb Height and Inflow Volume 52
• 4.6.2 Hypothesis 2: Effects of Curb Angle on Mean Flow Rate 53
• 4.6.3 Hypothesis 3: Stability at Intermediate Angles 54
• 4.7 Discussion 55
• CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION 60
• 5.1 Overall Conclusions 60
• 5.2 Limitations and Significance 61
• REFERENCES 63