Chapter 14: Case studies

Having set the scene to the background and the current perspectives for urban drainage practice, through to the future outlook, this chapter presents a number of case studies from across the UK. These offer a wide range of approaches, practical applications, and solutions to the many and sometimes complex, issues faced. The case studies are an extensive variety, covering some of the traditional and long-established topics such as flooding, stormwater, blue-green infrastructure, pollution, water quality, asset management and community engagement, collaboration and partnerships; through to intelligent surface water management, digital innovation and the application of technologies new to drainage practitioners; and conventional thinking such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, reinforcement learning and adaptive learning. These provide a clear demonstration of the art of the possible and how urban drainage, and its practitioners, has and continues to evolve to provide a broader range of societal, environmental and economic benefits. This book also signposts the reader to PD ISO/TR 24539:2021 Examples of good practices for Stormwater Management, which contains 19 relevant case studies from seven countries.