Integrating sciences to sustain urban ecosystem services

Effective water management within urban settings requires robust multidisciplinary understanding and an appreciation of the value added to urban spaces by providing multifunctional green-blue spaces. Multifunctional landscapes where ecosystem service provisions are ‘designed-in’ can help ‘transition’ cities to more sustainable environments which are more resilient to changing future conditions. With benefits ranging from the supply of water, habitat and energy to pollutant removal, amenity and opportunities for recreation, urban water bodies can provide a focal point for reconnecting humans and nature in otherwise densely built-up areas. Managing water within urban spaces is an essential infrastructure requirement but has historically been undertaken in isolation from other urban functions and spatial requirements. Increasingly, because of the limits of space and need to respond to new drivers (e.g. mitigation of diffuse pollution), more sustainable approaches to urban water management are being applied which can have multiple functions and benefits. This paper presents a review of ecosystem services associated with water, particularly those in urban environments, and uses the emerging language of ecosystem services to provide a framework for discussion. The range of supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem services associated with differing types of urban water bodies are identified. A matrix is then used to evaluate the results of a series of social, ecological and physical science studies co-located on a single stretch of a restored urban river. Findings identify the benefits of, but also barriers to, the implementation of a transdisciplinary research approach. For many, transdisciplinary research still appears to be on the edge of scientific respectability. In order to approach this challenge, it is imperative that we bring together discipline specific expertise to address fundamental and applied problems in a holistic way. The ecosystem services approach offers an exciting mechanism to support researchers in tackling research questions that require thinking beyond traditional scientific boundaries. The opportunity to fully exploit this approach to collaborative working should not be lost

Smart SUDS:recognising the multiple-benefit potential of sustainable surface water management systems

How can we make sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) smart? SUDS help us to manage surface water runoff from urban environments but they are capable of delivering much more. This paper looks beyond the water quantity and quality improvement functions of SUDS and investigates the multiple benefits that can be gained by implementing smart SUDS solutions. This work provides a new perspective, using methodologies not normally associated with SUDS research, to determine multiple benefits. The outputs of the work can potentially assist decision-makers, designer and planners in recognising the potential for multiple benefits that can be delivered by SUDS. The ecosystem services (ES) associated with a large redevelopment in Dundee, Scotland, UK, are identified and a public perception study together with public participatory geographical information system (PPGIS) methods was used to confirm the goods and benefits of the SUDS. The paper presents findings on the public perception of SUDS as they provide cultural benefits such as recreation, aesthetics and biodiversity. The results show that greenspace is important when choosing a location, and willingness to pay for greenspace is high in this area. This paper concludes that SUDS provide multi-functional benefits in relation to the ES, thereby justifying the cachet of being termed Smart SUDS

A new, more efficient waterwheel design for very-low-head hydropower schemes

Very-low-head hydropower constitutes a large untapped renewable energy source, estimated at 1 GW in the UK alone. A new type of low-impact waterwheel has been developed and tested at Abertay University in Scotland to improve the economic viability of such schemes. For example, on a 2·5 m high weir in the UK with 5 m3/s mean flow, one waterwheel could produce an annual investment return of 7·5% for over 100 years. This paper describes the evolution of the design and reports on scale-model tests. These show that the new design harnesses significant potential and kinetic energy to generate power and handles over four times as much water per metre width compared to traditional designs

Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports (LiFE Sports)

IMPACT. 1: 569 youth engaged in four weeks of social skill and sport education and 249 youth attended at least one of six sports clinics. Youth reported improved social skills and sport competence. -- 2. 183 OSU students from 14 different academic departments participated in some Teaching and Learning element of LiFE Sports. 21 student-athletes also participated in LiFE Sports programming. -- 3. The LiFE Sports program model was presented at international, national, and regional conferences, such as the National School Mental Health Conference, the Society on Social Work Research, and the Ohio SHAPE Conference. Additionally, research on LiFE Sports was published in books and journals such as the Journal of Sports Management.OSU PARTNERS: College of Social Work; Department of Athletics; Department of Recreational Sports; Office of Outreach and Engagement; College of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Services; College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; College of Nursing; College of Dentistry; College of Arts and Sciences; College of Optometry; Undergraduate Admission and First Year Experience; Office of Student Life; P-12 Project; Facilities Operations and Development; Dining ServicesCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: Illinois State University; Michigan State University; After School All-Stars Ohio; All THAT; Boys and Girls Club of Columbus; Columbus City Schools; I Know I Can; Local Matters; Mid-Ohio Food Bank; Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRA); Youth to Youth International; Cardinal Health; Columbus Crew; Greater Columbus Arts Council; Huntington National Bank; Ortho Neuro; Pitney Bowes Presort Services; Willis of Ohio; Ohio Department of EducationPRIMARY CONTACT: Rebecca Wade-Mdivanian ([email protected])The LiFE Sports Initiative aims: "to enhance the quality of youth development, sport, and recreational programs through service and outreach, teaching and learning, and research, thereby increasing positive developmental outcomes for youth.

Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports (LiFEsports)

IMPACT. 1: In 2015-2016, over 1,700 youth engaged in the four-week LiFEsports Summer Camp, 11 sports clinics, Youth Leadership Academy or in programs using the LiFEsports curriculum. Youth improved social skills such as self-control, effort, teamwork, social competence, and transfer of learning. -- 2. Through employment opportunities, internships, volunteering experiences, or academic coursework, approximately 300 OSU students from 14 different academic departments participated in LiFEsports. Additionally, nearly 50 student-athletes also participated in various aspects of the program. -- 3. The LiFEsports program model was presented at international, national, and regional conferences, such as the Social Work in Sport Symposium. Additionally, research on LiFEsports was published in books and journals such as the Journal of Applied Sports Psychology and Research on Social Work Practice.OSU PARTNERS: College of Social Work; Department of Athletics; Department of Recreational Sports; Office of Outreach and Engagement; College of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Services; College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; College of Nursing; College of Dentistry; College of Arts and Sciences; College of Optometry; Undergraduate Admission and First Year Experience; Office of Student Life; Sports & Society InitiativeCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: Illinois State University; Michigan State University; After School All-Stars Ohio; All THAT; Boys and Girls Club of Columbus; Columbus City Schools; I Know I Can; Columbus Youth Foundation; Local Matters; Mid-Ohio Food Bank; Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRA); Youth to Youth International; Cardinal Health; Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority; Greater Columbus Arts Council; Huntington National Bank; Pitney Bowes Presort Services; ADAMH Board of Franklin County; Ohio Department of Education; Pickerington Local Schools; Nike; Continental Real Estate Companies; Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC; Plunkett Cooney; Boren BrothersPRIMARY CONTACT: Rebecca Wade-Mdivanian ([email protected])The LiFEsports Initiative aims: "to enhance the quality of youth development, sport, and recreational programs through service and outreach, teaching and learning, and research, thereby increasing positive developmental outcomes for youth.

Using an Ecojustice Education Framework to Address Conservation in the Upstate

In an era of complex and overlapping issues, it is critical to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative interdisciplinary methodology within the fields of justice and environmental conservation. One such method is encapsulated in an ecojustice education framework. This capstone project sought to analyze the effectiveness of an ecojustice education framework to address conservation in the Upstate of South Carolina. In the process of this study’s literature review, it is evident that isolating social justice from environmental conservation is ineffective and unresponsive to the needs that historically underserved communities today face in terms of the mitigation of environmental burdens and enhancement of ecosystem services. An ecojustice education framework poses a new and more in depth way of understanding these challenges, ways to unite disciplines typically separated, and to look beyond to solutions that are holistic and intentionally consider both the needs of the environment and the needs of underserved communities. The findings of this research were presented to a diverse group of stakeholders representative of various communities and academic/professional entities in the form of an ecojustice and conservation workshop. These workshops facilitated an environment where concepts were discussed and perceptions were shared between various stakeholders regarding the potential benefits of an ecojustice framework within conservation in the Upstate. These workshops reinforced and further contributed to the overwhelming need and enthusiasm to identify holistic solutions. This capstone project demonstrates the need to reevaluate environmental justice ideology and highlights the ways an ecojustice education framework can enhance the values of holistic conservation within Upstate South Carolina communities

Source control SUDS delivery on a global scale and in Scotland including approach by responsible organisations and professional groups

Background to researchThe Sustainable Urban Drainage Scottish Working Party via CREW commissioned this work on the implementation of source control for SUDS in Scotland. The project is being carried out by researchers based at Abertay University Dundee involves three phases. These are presented in separate reports; this report covers phase 2 of that work. Source control sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) are an established technique in many parts of the world. Source control SUDS are a key component of what is termed the stormwater treatment train. Source controls manage the more frequent but smaller polluting rainfall events as close to the source as possible (where the rain falls). Site and regional control SUDS are larger downstream structures which manage the longer term rainfall events and provide additional treatment when required. One of the key advantages of managing the more frequent rainfall events at source is that downstream site and regional SUDS will have longer life spans resulting in overall cost efficiencies. Scotland is regarded as a frontrunner in the UK regarding implementation of SUDS with site and regional drainage structures now considered ‘business as usual’. However the uptake of source control is less routine than would be expected.Objectives of researchPhase one of this research looked at the background to the evolution of source control in Scotland to provide an insight into the enabling factors and obstacles for uptake of the systems since. Phase two(this report) appraises delivery of the systems in seven countries and case studies are developed to understand why source control was implemented and how it was achieved. The current delivery by responsible organisations and professional groups which encourage and influence the source control agenda in Scotland is also appraised. Using these findings, the transition pathway from traditional drainage to source control SUDS are reconstructed and mapped out to highlight the historical and current enabling (and disabling) factors to realise the transition to date. A transition framework is used to highlight the transition strengths developed by responsible organisations over the last two decades which had assisted in accelerating the transition.Key findings and recommendationsKey outcomes of this research include:* In Scotland the source control vision and agenda is fragmented due to different stakeholder drivers and funding mechanisms.* There are examples of the use of incentives in Scotland (i.e. legislative, regulatory, financial,social and environmental) to drive integrated agendas. However these have not been successfully showcased to provide the evidence base for encouraging replication and up-scaling of the methodologies and techniques.* There are limited frontier source control SUDS ‘niches’ to nurture innovative techniques such as raingardens – a learning by doing concept. A more focused research agenda to validate these systems as viable sustainable solutions for Scotland would assist in accelerating uptake.* Lack of sector engagement, particularly with the public is a disabling factor for uptake.A final observation from this phase of the study is that requests from various interested parties for CREW / SUDS Working Party to share outputs indicates the need for this research