1. Changes and barriers on the path to water-sensitive cities in Israel
Dr. Shula Goulden Porter School of Environmental Studies, TAU & Faculty of Architecture & Town Planning, Technion Institute of Technology

2. Research team: Prof. Tal Alon Mozes, Dr. Michelle Portman, Prof
Research team: Prof. Tal Alon Mozes, Dr. Michelle Portman, Prof. Naomi Carmon, Dr. Shula Goulden, Arch. Elissa Rosenberg, Nadav Shapira
Goal: Evaluation of WSUD policies and practices in Israel
1. Review and analyse the implementation of WSUD practices within the Israeli planning context
2. Produce recommendations for the improvement of policies that can lead to greater adoption of stormwater BMPs, including impediments and supports
Sub-project P4.1: Understanding Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) in the Israeli Context: Policy aspects

3. Elements of “sustainable stormwater management”
Conventional drainage
Sustainable stormwater management
Attitudes
Control and remove stormwater
Handle extreme events
Resource for humans and nature
Manage day-to-day and extreme events
Goals
Avoid flooding, pollution, erosion
Multiple goals (water; ecology; social; economic)
Measures
Rapid removal in urban areas with constructed infrastructure
Slowing runoff, conveyance, detention, infiltration, biological and mechanical treatment; floodplain management
Professional roles
Drainage engineers design infrastructure
Professional cooperation from early stages in order to influence design
Elements of “sustainable stormwater management”

4. Many factors play a part:
Changes in regulation and plans
How do we analyse supports and barriers to sustainable stormwater management?
Sustainability discourse
Technical knowledge
Availability of technologies
Water management goals
Legal responsibility and jurisdictions
Civil society impact
Professional adaptation
technical
social

5. The study CULTURAL-COGNITIVE awareness, knowledge, goals
Analysis of changes across three institutional pillars (based on Ferguson et al, 2013)
CULTURAL-COGNITIVE awareness, knowledge, goals
NORMATIVE professional norms, training
REGULATIVE laws, plans, responsibility
From 1990 to present day
A change to sustainable storwmater management requires all three.
The study

6. Findings in detail

7. FINDINGS CULTURAL-COGNITIVE CHANGES
Academic research points to need for groundwater infiltration and potential of water-sensitive planning
Stormwater management (vs. drainage) increasingly accepted in drainage authorities
Increasing awareness of urban sustainability in municipalities, NGOs, public
Government decision on sustainable development strategy (2003)
2010
2000

8. FINDINGS NORMATIVE CHANGES
End 90s – stormwater management workshop for drainage authorities and other professionals
Increasing norm of professional cooperation and stormwater considerations in all stages of planning – niche?
Guide on run-off conserving construction מרדיך תכנון ובנייה משמרת נגר (2004) – implementation?
Emphasis on infiltration in practice – other goals?
2010
2000

9. FINDINGS REGULATORY CHANGES
Stormwater planning guidelines – Tel Aviv and Central District Planning Committees
National Outline Plan 34/b/4 – infiltration requirements (2007) – professional capacity?
1957 Drainage and Storm Protection Law still in force
2010
2000

10. Socio-institutional changes have occurred, mostly in awareness and discourse ( “hazard  resource”), some professional standards and statutory plans.
However, changes support a focus on an infiltration/groundwater replenishment paradigm (based on earlier water management concerns).
Water resource management has changed (desalination, high rates of wastewater treatment) alongside greater environmental awareness
Multi-functional, multi-disciplinary approaches restricted to certain case studies.
Conclusions

11. Barriers and Recommendations
Focus on infiltration
Develop consensus on stormwater benefits at different geographical scales
Greater public awareness and inclusion of SWM as key factor in urban sustainability programs
Broaden statutory plans (תמ"א) and other guidelines with emphasis on multiple benefits
Limited professional training and emphasis on cooperation. Widespread planning changes require professional expertise
Professional training on planning and engineering approaches
Emphasis on role of professionals in change
Drainage Law and outdated regulation
Update to law, to anchor the change in discourse
Enhanced cooperation between national, regional (drainage authorities) and local authorities
Water regime: lack of responsibility and incentive for local authorities to manage stormwater
Incentives for local authorities; raised public awareness
Barriers and Recommendations

12. Thank you for listening