Spatial optimization for managing surface runoff from urbanization: Parameterization and application of a spatial runoff minimization model
Abstract
The spatial runoff minimization model (ROMIN: Runoff Minimization) identifies the optimal location of urban development which minimizes runoff increase from land use change. Initially, the model was used to estimate potential hydrologic benefits of land use planning based on optimal location decision. The model generates a contiguous region rather than comparing candidate sites or regions of interest, enabling a variety of applications. This study includes efforts to evaluate the model reliability and sensitivity, and extends the variety of model applications. Due to characteristics of heuristic models, such as used in ROMIN model, model reliability was empirically evaluated based on results with eight data sets. Resultant solutions were determined for satisfying area and shape constraints and for minimizing hydrologic impact to input variation. Decision weight factors which determine balance between minimizing runoff increase and maintaining required region shapes were investigated to identify their impact on results. Understanding of decision weight factors assists in producing solutions which meet the urban development objective. Applications of the ROMIN model were extended to identify the relationships between urban development scale (e.g. amount of development within an area of interest) and its hydrologic impact (runoff increase). The amount of hydrologic impact was not linearly related to the development scale. Critical points showing greater hydrologic impact of high slopes of the relationship identified and implied great hydrologic sensitivity to development amount. Results indicated that the relationship is ascribed to watershed characteristics and optimal locations should be determined based on development scale. Understanding the impact of development scale on hydrologic impacts and optimal locations supports hydrologic consideration in urban development design. The ROMIN model was adjusted to address other major issues relative to urbanization, such as socioeconomic preference when determining the optimal region. The Land Transformation Model (LTM) was used to deal with socioeconomic preference. The LTM forecasts the future urbanization layout based on analyzing previous urbanization patterns and also generates future urbanization likelihood which was utilized as a substitute of socioeconomic preference for this study. Urbanization likelihood and runoff increase were combined by weighted sum method and defined the objective function cost of the ROMIN model. The proposed approach was applied on the Muskegon watershed in Michigan and yielded solution regions which reflected both runoff increase management and socioeconomic consideration. This study delves into how to apply the spatial runoff minimization model (ROMIN) to support improved development design with consideration of hydrologic management.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Engel, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Natural Resource Management|Urban planning
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