Multi-criteria prioritizing of Green Infrastructure Practices and their combinations to Control Runoff in Tehran Metropolitan

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

2 Department of Watershed Management, Faculty of Rangeland and Watershed Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Gorgan, Iran

Abstract

Urban green infrastructure (GI) development is a technique for reducing the consequences of urbanization on the hydrological cycle. This research aims to propose proper GI practices for urban areas of Tehran metropolitan using multi-criteria decision-making methods, including the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and TOPSIS. The framework of this research has seven main steps. Firstly, relevant criteria and sub-criteria were selected. Secondly, these criteria were weighted with a panel of nine experts with various fields related to the research from different viewpoints using AHP. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using PYSIS software to avoid possible bios. In the third step, all GI practices' suitability was evaluated and prioritized using the weight of selected criteria and sub criteria. Finally, different scenarios for combining practices were defined, assessed, and prioritized. The results indicate that the porous pavement is the most suitable GI practice for Tehran, while green swale received the weakest. The results also revealed that infiltration trench, bio-retention bed, rainwater harvesting, retention pond, bio-retention pond, and green roof held the rank of second to seven of GI suitability. In terms of GI combination, ten essential GI combinations for the city of Tehran were proposed, including conveyance- detention, conveyance-restoration, conveyance irrigation, detention- conveyance, detention- absorption, detention- irrigation, and absorption irrigation. Finally, for each of the combination scenarios, GI combinations were proposed.

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