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Measuring the environmental benefits and social impact of large scale SuDS
Introduction
Urban areas are increasingly facing hydrological challenges driven by climate change, rapid urbanisation, and population growth. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) offer a nature-based solution by managing rainfall at its source, reducing flood risk, enhancing water quality, and delivering broader environmental and social benefits.
Despite growing recognition of these wider benefits, current evaluation methods often fall short in capturing their full scope. There is a clear need for robust, practical assessment tools that can support better-informed decision-making and provide long-term insights into the performance of SuDS.
This project aims to assess the environmental and social impacts of large-scale SuDS through a comprehensive review of existing prediction and measurement techniques. It will identify current gaps and develop improved methodologies to enable more effective evaluation of SuDS interventions.
Study Site - Mansfield as a Living Lab:
Mansfield, the second largest town in Nottinghamshire, located in the East Midlands, will serve as a "living lab" for real-world testing. Situated in the River Maun valley and surrounded by permeable soils, Mansfield presents an ideal setting for SuDS research. The town is currently home to the Mansfield Sustainable Flood Resilience Scheme, the largest SuDS retrofitting project in the UK, featuring 342 interventions with a total storage capacity of 30,350 m³.
Project Aims:
The project will assess the environmental and social impacts of large-scale Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)
Mansfield will be used as a living lab for real-world testing
The project will review existing prediction and measurement techniques for assessing the wider benefits of SuDS
It will identify gaps and develop practical methods to support more robust evaluation
Shuxin Ren | The University of Sheffield | 2025
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