Perception of new trends in rainwater management in Czech cities: Barriers and tools of implementation

Abstract

The demand for settlements to adapt to the impacts of climate change is reflected in the increased interest of the Czech public administration in promoting changes in the field of rainwater management (RWM). In the Czech Republic, city representatives and politicians are gradually leaning towards the development of blue-green infrastructure, i.e. towards promoting functional green spaces and other elements to support a nature-based water cycle in the urban landscape. Despite this fact, there are still a number of barriers limiting the speedier implementation of RWM changes. The research focused on the entire portfolio of possible barriers and promotional tools for the implementation of new trends; however, we also delve deeper into issues of perception. We draw on a compiled inventory of 14 potential barriers classified across four groups into perceptual, institutional, economic and physical barriers. Based on the overview of barriers, we conducted pen-and-paper personal interviews with a selection of 18 suitable stakeholders. The interviews were focused on rating the significance of the barriers, commenting on experiences from each stakeholder's perspective and making recommendations for the process in practice. They showed that the perception of new RWM trends differs according to the position of the actors and also their personal attitudes and preferences, for example in relation to nature-based measures. The most significant barriers in RWM implementation that were identified in terms of the Czech environment are related to economic issues and property ownership. A perceptual barrier is the lack of confidence regarding the implementation and operation of new technological or nature-based RWM systems. Political support for the transformation process, declared as the introduction of blue-green infrastructure, is positive. Nonetheless, perception of the term blue-green infrastructure is not unified in the Czech environment. This is also related to the confirmed professional and institutional fragmentation of RWM issues and the lack of experts on new trends in this field. In order to eliminate perceptional barriers, we recommend applying some new tools in Czech cities, especially coordination, organizational and ethical ones, together with the use of international experience. In economic terms, it is advisable to focus on a better adjustment of fees for rainwater drainage and on the application of methods to economically evaluate ecosystem services.