Green Infrastructure: sustainable mechanisms to urban drainage

Abstract

The urbanization process made that permeable soil areas were gradually reduced due to the increase in civil construction. The urban drainage, once idealized by projects that did not aimed at sustainability, has not been able to meet the cities demand over the years. For this reason, it became necessary to introduce on the basic sanitation projects, more specifically in the urban storm drainage system, new mechanisms that aimed the integration between the environment with the urban environment needs. This article will present mechanisms that can be applied in urban drainage projects by using soil and vegetation as the main resources to conciliate sustainability, comfort and safety for citizens in the urban area. The methodology used to elaborate the research was the bibliographical review, aiming to present a series of elements that can be used in the urban environment in order to improve drainage. However, for such conceptions to be really put into practice, changes in existing legislation are necessary, dissemination of projects already done for the general population, awareness campaigns and qualification of the existing professionals in the market.