skip to content

MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development

global challenges, engineering solutions
 
Award for Blue Green Cities research

Dick Fenner and Malcolm Morgan have been awarded the Robert Alfred Carr Prize for their paper entitled: Spatial evaluation of the multiple benefits of sustainable drainage systems.

The prize is awarded by the Institution of Civil Engineers for the best paper published each year in the Journal of Water Management. The research it describes evolved from the EPSRC funded Blue Green Cities project and describes the development and use of a GIS tool to calculate the cumulative benefits of a sustainable urban drainage scheme as they propagate over an urban landscape, taking into account issues reflecting local context and initial circumstances.  

The approach defines two new terms of benefit profile and benefit intensity used to create a score for each benefit category, which is normalised against a defined initial condition state on a scale of 0 to 10. This approach allows a direct comparison of the relative magnitude of benefits for a given location and provides a clear understanding of how and to whom multiple benefits accrue. This can also easily be modified to reflect local preferences by weighting each benefit category appropriately. The method is demonstrated by three case studies in Newcastle, UK.

The full reference is given below and the paper will shortly be made free-to-all to read in perpetuity on the ICE Virtual Library

Morgan M, Fenner R.A. (2019) Spatial evaluation of the multiple benefits of sustainable drainage systems  Water Management Volume 172 Issue 1, February, 2019, pp. 39-52

https://doi.org/10.1680/jwama.16.00048

 

Course Overview

Context

The need to engage in better problem definition through careful dialogue with all stakeholder groups and a proper recognition of context.

Perspectives

An ability to work with specialists from other disciplines and professional groups acknowledging that technical innovation and business skills also must be understood, nurtured and combined as precursors to the successful implementation of sustainable solutions.

Change

An understanding of mechanisms for managing change in organisations so future engineers are equipped to play a leadership role.

Tools

An awareness of a range of assessment frameworks, sustainability metrics and methodologies such as Life Cycle Analysis, Systems Dynamics, Multi-Criteria Decision making and Impact Assessment.