Multi-criteria decision analysis for evaluation of stormwater control measures

Radinja, Matej (author)

Stormwater control measures (SCMs) are technical elements designed to prevent and mitigate the negative effects of uncontrolled stormwater runoff. Different types of SCM can provide various co-benefits to the surrounding urban environment, making it important to select the most appropriate measure. This study presents a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework for evaluating SCMs based on their optimized design parameters. Six SCM types – bio-retention cells, rain gardens, green roofs, infiltration trenches, detention ponds, and storage tanks – were optimized for a single objective: catchment outflow reduction. The resulting designs were evaluated using MCDA, incorporating additional performance criteria including capital expenditure (CAPEX), operating expenses (OPEX), land take, retained water, detained water, and plant space. The compromise programming method was applied to rank SCM scenarios based on their proximity to an ideal solution. Results indicate that landscape-integrated SCMs, particularly detention ponds, offer the most balanced performance, combining low costs with high co-benefits. Building-integrated SCMs, such as green roofs and rainwater-harvesting storage tanks, scored moderately, while underground storage tanks – representing grey infrastructure – performed the worst due to high costs and lack of co-benefits. The proposed evaluation framework enables transparent, criteria-based comparison of SCMs and supports informed decision-making in urban stormwater planning.

• Language: English
• Keywords: urban drainage, climate change, surface runoff, hydrology, blue-green infrastructure, co-benefits
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 87-101
• Numbering: Vol. 38, no. 69
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-179771
• UDC: 556.51
• ISSN on article: 0352-3551
• DOI: 10.15292/acta.hydro.2025.07
• COBISS.SI-ID: 269430787
• Publication date in RUL: 24.02.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Acta hydrotechnica
• Publisher: Fakulteta za gradbeništvo in geodezijo
• ISSN: 0352-3551
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3664386

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Večkriterijska odločitvena analiza za vrednotenje ukrepov za obvladovanje padavinskih voda

Abstract

Ukrepi za obvladovanje padavinskih voda (UOPV) so inženirski objekti, namenjeni preprečevanju in blažitvi negativnih posledic nenadzorovanega površinskega odtoka. Raznovrstni UOPV lahko zagotovijo različne vrste dodatnih koristi v urbanem okolju, zato je ključna izbira najprimernejšega ukrepa. Ta študija predstavlja okvir večkriterijske odločitvene analize za vrednotenje UOPV na podlagi njihovih optimiziranih karakteristik. Šest vrst UOPV – bioretenzijske enote, deževni vrtovi, zelene strehe, infiltracijski jarki, suhi zadrževalniki in zbiralniki – je bilo optimiziranih s ciljem zmanjšanja odtoka iz prispevnega območja. Optimizirani ukrepi so bili ovrednoteni z večkriterijsko odločitveno analizo, ki vključuje dodatne kriterije učinkovitosti: investicijske stroške, obratovalne stroške, potrebno površino, shranjeno vodo, zadržano vodo in prostor za rastline. Z metodo kompromisnega programiranja so bili scenariji UOPV nato razvrščeni glede na njihovo odstopanje od idealne rešitve. Rezultati kažejo, da so najbolj učinkoviti v krajino vključeni ukrepi, zlasti suhi zadrževalniki, saj združujejo manjše stroške z visokimi dodatnimi koristmi. V objekte vključeni ukrepi, kot so zelene strehe in zbiralniki deževnice, so dosegli zmerne rezultate, medtem ko so podzemni zbiralniki (tj. siva infrastruktura) zaradi visokih stroškov in pomanjkanja dodatnih koristi dosegli najslabše rezultate. Predlagani okvir omogoča pregledno primerjavo UOPV na podlagi kriterijev in podpira informirano odločanje pri načrtovanju urbane odvodnje.

• Keywords: urbana odvodnja, podnebne spremembe, površinski odtok, modro-zelena infrastruktura, dodatne koristi

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0180
• Name: Vodarstvo in geotehnika: orodja in metode za analize in simulacije procesov ter razvoj tehnologij