International Journal of Environmental Science and Development

Abstract—For areas that are urbanized rapidly, the practice of Low Impact Development (LID) has gained an important place in stormwater management and urban planning due to its capability and beneficial effects in restoring the original hydrological cycle. The performances of LID alternatives can vary substantially due to different climate conditions. This study investigated the performances of three LID alternatives under a semi-arid climate in northern China on water balance. A numerical model, the storm water management model (SWMM), was employed to run 10 years’ rainfall events for these objectives. The efficiency index for water balance (Iw) is also introduced in this study and three LID alternatives are evaluated by using the above methodology. According to the research results, LID facilities have remarkable effects on water balance.

Index Terms—Low impact development, urban development, water balance.

Shuai Niu and Lei Cao are with the Architecture School of Tianjin University, China (e-mail: xiaoxin07067@qq.com, tjdxcl2006@163.com).
Yu Li is with the State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Simulation and Safety, School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, China (e-mail: 516571927@qq.com).
Jinhui Huang is with the College of Environmental Science and Engineering of Nankai University, China (e-mail: huangj@tju.edu.cn).

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Cite: Shuai Niu, Lei Cao, Yu Li, and Jinhui Huang, "Long-Term Simulation of the Effect of Low Impact Development for Highly Urbanized Areas on the Hydrologic Cycle in China," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 225-228, 2016.