Source controls

An analysis of stormwater management strategies adopted by big-box retailers in Teresina-PI

Abstract

In the face of urban landscapes marked by continuous impermeabilization of the soil and its respective negative impacts on the hydrological cycle, the implementation of effective stormwater management strategies in cities have become increasingly urgent. In this context, source control alternatives—namely, devices for collection and detention or retention at the lot scale—are gaining prominence. However, in Teresina, Brazil, the absence or lack of integration of these strategies with the broader architectural and landscape programs or with the urban surroundings, in various developments, indicates a predominant perspective that is monofunctional and purely technical concerning stormwater management. Given the extensive impervious areas in big box retailers, this article is based on a survey conducted in Teresina, with the aim of analyzing the management strategies for detention or retention adopted in these centers, comparing them with principles of integration and multifunctionality. In addition to indicating that only one out of the fifteen projects analyzed uses a source control strategy that is less isolated within the lot, the results highlight the still significant distance towards the broad incorporation of sustainable source control strategies that are not only more integrative but also multifunctional.