This issue of Municipal Engineer includes papers on surface water, sewer design and refurbishment, highway maintenance and pavement energy harvesting, and regeneration and procurement. It takes the reader from India to the Middle East and Europe, from the sewers of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) to road deterioration in the Arabian heat.
In their briefing on sustainable drainage for sports pitch developments, Simpson et al. (2013) describe how they use the ‘FloPod’ measurement system to show that net discharge from drained sports pitch developments is in the range 0 to 10% of total rainfall. This paper may be useful to developers in showing that the amount of surface water that may be discharged from a site is lower than may currently be recognised. This in turn could have economic benefits for such developments.
Dey (2013), in his paper on hydraulic design and engineering aspects of combined sewers, describes how Kolkata receives more than 1600 mm of its annual rainfall (about 90%) between July and September. In order to cope with this peak flow, he advocates stricter and more accurate controls around drainage design. Dey bases his recommendations on Manning's equation and suggests that such an approach would help ensure capacity and reduce economic disruption to the city.
On a similar theme, the paper on the rehabilitation of Kolkata's first Victorian-age brick sewer describes the history and the work to re-line the city's eighteenth-century sewer. Basu et al. (2013) take us back to the founding of the city in 1690 and to the original identification of need. The parallels with Joseph Bazalgette and London are striking. The paper describes the ‘unimaginably unhygienic and poor conditions’ which prevailed that led to the commencement of work on main sewers in 1868. Whilst there is no doubt that these contributed to the growth of the city, in more recent times they have been subject to regular blockages and collapse. It is intriguing to speculate on the economic costs of such issues in what is arguably the most densely populated urban space on earth. The paper describes the rationale for the choice of glass-reinforced plastic segmental lining for the refurbishment work. It highlights that this system provides sufficient strength to accept ground loadings and also mentions secondary benefits. Notably, one of these is that the technique is trenchless and so the work could be completed with minimal disruption to the city. Less obvious is that the technique provides for high watertightness and as such reduces groundwater pollution. In addition, the resultant sewers have a very smooth bore that enhances their flow characteristics. Given the density of population, in combination with the humidity and heat, it is worrying and intriguing to try to comprehend the ‘unimaginably unhygienic’ conditions before the sewers. As well as for developing economies, the paper is relevant for all jurisdictions that may be facing the need to refurbish main sewers.
Mubaraki's paper on an integrated road surface management system for small municipalities investigates pavement management systems and proposes a simple vehicle-mounted system for trials to assist jurisdictions in efficiently managing their highway networks (Mubaraki, 2013). The paper includes some useful descriptions and discussion of pavement management techniques and principles, and highlights some of the difficulties maintaining roads in areas with high ambient temperatures.
Duarte et al. (2013) describe Waynergy, a new pavement energy harvest system developed in Portugal by the Waydip company. Along with other systems based on piezoelectrics, thermal energy collection, solar energy devices and electromagnetic devices, Waynergy may provide a means of harvesting energy from pedestrian and vehicle movements and the sun to produce electricity to power street lights, signs and other utilities. Such a system could help governments meet their emissions targets. Whilst perhaps these technologies still seem more experimental than practical, it is possible that they are becoming more realistic with the advent of light-emitting diode lighting, which draws less power, and also in more densely populated spaces where transmission costs and traffic movements are often higher as well as due to the rising cost of energy in general. Given their use of non-standard road-building materials such as plastics and glass, I wonder about their performance in the highway asset context. Could they out-perform conventional materials and could those economic benefits be significant in making a viable case? Also, many densely populated areas aspire to high-quality natural stone finishes or aesthetically pleasing finishes to help create attractive urban spaces; would these systems be able to contribute to that objective or might they detract? How would the use of such systems impact on the maintenance of other apparatus contained within the highway?
Urban regeneration and knowledge-intensive services are discussed by Plaza et al. (2013) in their paper describing the regeneration of Bilbao in Spain. The authors explore how massive infrastructure investment led to the creation of jobs and leverage investment. The paper analysis the outcomes on a sector-by-sector basis, including considering knowledge-intensive business services. This paper would be of assistance to jurisdictions planning regeneration investment.
In their paper on procurement clinics in public procurement and urban development, Kuronen and Vaara (2013) describe a new procurement methodology trialled in Finland. The clinics provide for early engagement of potential suppliers through a prolonged, funded and facilitated dialogue process. They appear to build on the principles of early contractor involvement and competitive dialogue. The authors highlight that the benefits will be released only if the process is well managed. The benefits provided may include better supplier engagement, the potential for more innovative solutions, and overall, it is suggested, a shorter procurement process.
As usual, this issue of the journal provides some thought-provoking material that may be of general or specific interest to the reader and which contributes to our collective knowledge.
