{"id":{"repo_id":"salford","oai_identifier":"oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1404530"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/salford/oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1404530","repository":{"repo_id":"salford","name":"U. of Salford","base_url":"https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/oaiprovider"},"display":{"title":"Rapid decision support tool based on novel ecosystem service variables for retrofitting sustainable drainage systems in the presence of trees","abstract":"There is a lack of practical decision support tools useful for a rapid assessment ofthe potential of ecosystem services when retrofitting permeable pavements in urban areasthat either feature existing trees or should be planted with trees in the near future.There isalso a need for a geospatial decision support tool for different professions such as drainageengineers and urban planners, which is useful for a quick assessment of the potential ofecosystem services when retrofitting sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) in urban areasTherefore the aim is to develop adecision support tool for choosing the best possibleoptions for theretrofitting ofsustainable urban drainage system techniquesusing novelecosystem servicevariables and modifyitto includeareflection of the confidence level oftheassessorto minimise uncertainty,andweighting factors that will reflect theprofessional background of thestakeholders to reduce professional bias.Thistool wasdeveloped andused to assess 100 sites in Greater Manchester withretrofittingpotentials including Brownfield sites.The introduced weighting factors helpedtonarrow down the choicesfurther.Since the retrofitting ofSUDS, especially permeablepavements, and other urban development projects usually involve areas where there arealready existing mature trees, further studies were carried out on the damagecharacteristics of urban tree species on urban structures including permeable pavements,impermeablepavements, kerbs, roads and retaining walls. This was conducted on adifferent 100 sites also in Greater Manchester. Further studies were also carried out aboutpublic acceptance of the urban tree species using pictures taken of trees from theWestonbirt National Arboretum.The resultsof the ‘ecosystem service’ approachwere compared with thoseoftraditional‘community and environmental’approachdeveloped by CIRIA.A comparisonwith the traditional approach of determining community and environment variablesindicates that permeable pavements are generally a preferredSUDSoption regardless ofthe professional perspectives.The introduced weighting factorsmade the toollend itself tobe used by stakeholders of varying professional backgrounds.The results of thecomparison of the different approaches showed that the ‘ecosystem service’ approach gavea rather more thorough and precise assessment and will give a less misleading choice ofSUDStechniques.In comparison to common public opinion, statistically significantdifferences between social scientists and the general public for the estimation ofland costsusing the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test were found. It was also surprising to findno significant differences in the estimation ofhabitat for speciesby civil engineers andxviiiecologists.Permeable pavements combined with urban trees received relatively highscores, because of their great potential impact in terms of water and air qualityimprovement, and flood control, respectively.Theresultofthe assessmentof damages to structures by urban tree speciesrevealed that Norway maple, Lime, Common Ash and Sycamore dominated GreaterManchester, andshowed that certain tree species are better suited for certain structureseither because ofthe damage or the nuisance that the trees cause. Impermeable pavementswere subject to the highest number of damage from trees (44%), followed by permeablepavements and kerbs (22% and 19%, respectively).Trees planted close to impermeablepavements will cause more damage to the structure compared to those planted close topermeable pavements under the same conditions. Wild cherry, large leaved lime, horsechestnut and hawthorn may are the best recommended trees for use alongsidemostroadsandSUDSstructures as they have least potential to damage structures. However, horsechestnuts produce lots of litters with their conkers. From aesthetics point of view,sycamore was the most aesthetic tree all-round the year.This study therefore suggests best tree species for permeable pavements and otherrelated structures, and its outcomes are likely to lead to more combined permeablepavement and tree systems in the urban landscape, which are beneficial for humans andthe environment.It will help urban developers inchoosing the most suitable trees for theright urban environment. It will also help to save money in maintaining infrastructure suchas roads and pavements.Keywords:Sustainable urban drainage systems; Ecosystem services; Permeablepavements; Expertsystem; Different professions;Stakeholders;Uncertainty; Urban trees;Urban structures, Structural damage.","abstract_html":"There is a lack of practical decision support tools useful for a rapid assessment ofthe potential of ecosystem services when retrofitting permeable pavements in urban areasthat either feature existing trees or should be planted with trees in the near future.There isalso a need for a geospatial decision support tool for different professions such as drainageengineers and urban planners, which is useful for a quick assessment of the potential ofecosystem services when retrofitting sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) in urban areasTherefore the aim is to develop adecision support tool for choosing the best possibleoptions for theretrofitting ofsustainable urban drainage system techniquesusing novelecosystem servicevariables and modifyitto includeareflection of the confidence level oftheassessorto minimise uncertainty,andweighting factors that will reflect theprofessional background of thestakeholders to reduce professional bias.Thistool wasdeveloped andused to assess 100 sites in Greater Manchester withretrofittingpotentials including Brownfield sites.The introduced weighting factors helpedtonarrow down the choicesfurther.Since the retrofitting ofSUDS, especially permeablepavements, and other urban development projects usually involve areas where there arealready existing mature trees, further studies were carried out on the damagecharacteristics of urban tree species on urban structures including permeable pavements,impermeablepavements, kerbs, roads and retaining walls. This was conducted on adifferent 100 sites also in Greater Manchester. Further studies were also carried out aboutpublic acceptance of the urban tree species using pictures taken of trees from theWestonbirt National Arboretum.The resultsof the ‘ecosystem service’ approachwere compared with thoseoftraditional‘community and environmental’approachdeveloped by CIRIA.A comparisonwith the traditional approach of determining community and environment variablesindicates that permeable pavements are generally a preferredSUDSoption regardless ofthe professional perspectives.The introduced weighting factorsmade the toollend itself tobe used by stakeholders of varying professional backgrounds.The results of thecomparison of the different approaches showed that the ‘ecosystem service’ approach gavea rather more thorough and precise assessment and will give a less misleading choice ofSUDStechniques.In comparison to common public opinion, statistically significantdifferences between social scientists and the general public for the estimation ofland costsusing the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test were found. It was also surprising to findno significant differences in the estimation ofhabitat for speciesby civil engineers andxviiiecologists.Permeable pavements combined with urban trees received relatively highscores, because of their great potential impact in terms of water and air qualityimprovement, and flood control, respectively.Theresultofthe assessmentof damages to structures by urban tree speciesrevealed that Norway maple, Lime, Common Ash and Sycamore dominated GreaterManchester, andshowed that certain tree species are better suited for certain structureseither because ofthe damage or the nuisance that the trees cause. Impermeable pavementswere subject to the highest number of damage from trees (44%), followed by permeablepavements and kerbs (22% and 19%, respectively).Trees planted close to impermeablepavements will cause more damage to the structure compared to those planted close topermeable pavements under the same conditions. Wild cherry, large leaved lime, horsechestnut and hawthorn may are the best recommended trees for use alongsidemostroadsandSUDSstructures as they have least potential to damage structures. However, horsechestnuts produce lots of litters with their conkers. From aesthetics point of view,sycamore was the most aesthetic tree all-round the year.This study therefore suggests best tree species for permeable pavements and otherrelated structures, and its outcomes are likely to lead to more combined permeablepavement and tree systems in the urban landscape, which are beneficial for humans andthe environment.It will help urban developers inchoosing the most suitable trees for theright urban environment. It will also help to save money in maintaining infrastructure suchas roads and pavements.Keywords:Sustainable urban drainage systems; Ecosystem services; Permeablepavements; Expertsystem; Different professions;Stakeholders;Uncertainty; Urban trees;Urban structures, Structural damage.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Uzomah, VC"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":"Doctoral (Level 8)","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026","date_published":"2026","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:26:44Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1404530"],"render_values":[{"text":"oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1404530","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.sponsor","label":"Sponsor","values":["University of Salford"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Uzomah, VC"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2026-07-24"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2026"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/output/1404530"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral (Level 8)"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1404530"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/file/1404530/1/Uzomah%20combined%20thesis.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["There is a lack of practical decision support tools useful for a rapid assessment ofthe potential of ecosystem services when retrofitting permeable pavements in urban areasthat either feature existing trees or should be planted with trees in the near future.There isalso a need for a geospatial decision support tool for different professions such as drainageengineers and urban planners, which is useful for a quick assessment of the potential ofecosystem services when retrofitting sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) in urban areasTherefore the aim is to develop adecision support tool for choosing the best possibleoptions for theretrofitting ofsustainable urban drainage system techniquesusing novelecosystem servicevariables and modifyitto includeareflection of the confidence level oftheassessorto minimise uncertainty,andweighting factors that will reflect theprofessional background of thestakeholders to reduce professional bias.Thistool wasdeveloped andused to assess 100 sites in Greater Manchester withretrofittingpotentials including Brownfield sites.The introduced weighting factors helpedtonarrow down the choicesfurther.Since the retrofitting ofSUDS, especially permeablepavements, and other urban development projects usually involve areas where there arealready existing mature trees, further studies were carried out on the damagecharacteristics of urban tree species on urban structures including permeable pavements,impermeablepavements, kerbs, roads and retaining walls. This was conducted on adifferent 100 sites also in Greater Manchester. Further studies were also carried out aboutpublic acceptance of the urban tree species using pictures taken of trees from theWestonbirt National Arboretum.The resultsof the ‘ecosystem service’ approachwere compared with thoseoftraditional‘community and environmental’approachdeveloped by CIRIA.A comparisonwith the traditional approach of determining community and environment variablesindicates that permeable pavements are generally a preferredSUDSoption regardless ofthe professional perspectives.The introduced weighting factorsmade the toollend itself tobe used by stakeholders of varying professional backgrounds.The results of thecomparison of the different approaches showed that the ‘ecosystem service’ approach gavea rather more thorough and precise assessment and will give a less misleading choice ofSUDStechniques.In comparison to common public opinion, statistically significantdifferences between social scientists and the general public for the estimation ofland costsusing the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test were found. It was also surprising to findno significant differences in the estimation ofhabitat for speciesby civil engineers andxviiiecologists.Permeable pavements combined with urban trees received relatively highscores, because of their great potential impact in terms of water and air qualityimprovement, and flood control, respectively.Theresultofthe assessmentof damages to structures by urban tree speciesrevealed that Norway maple, Lime, Common Ash and Sycamore dominated GreaterManchester, andshowed that certain tree species are better suited for certain structureseither because ofthe damage or the nuisance that the trees cause. Impermeable pavementswere subject to the highest number of damage from trees (44%), followed by permeablepavements and kerbs (22% and 19%, respectively).Trees planted close to impermeablepavements will cause more damage to the structure compared to those planted close topermeable pavements under the same conditions. Wild cherry, large leaved lime, horsechestnut and hawthorn may are the best recommended trees for use alongsidemostroadsandSUDSstructures as they have least potential to damage structures. However, horsechestnuts produce lots of litters with their conkers. From aesthetics point of view,sycamore was the most aesthetic tree all-round the year.This study therefore suggests best tree species for permeable pavements and otherrelated structures, and its outcomes are likely to lead to more combined permeablepavement and tree systems in the urban landscape, which are beneficial for humans andthe environment.It will help urban developers inchoosing the most suitable trees for theright urban environment. It will also help to save money in maintaining infrastructure suchas roads and pavements.Keywords:Sustainable urban drainage systems; Ecosystem services; Permeablepavements; Expertsystem; Different professions;Stakeholders;Uncertainty; Urban trees;Urban structures, Structural damage."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Rapid decision support tool based on novel ecosystem service variables for retrofitting sustainable drainage systems in the presence of trees"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.sponsor":["University of Salford"],"dc:creator":["Uzomah, VC"],"dc:date":["2026-07-24"],"dc:date.issued":["2026"],"dc:description.abstract":["There is a lack of practical decision support tools useful for a rapid assessment ofthe potential of ecosystem services when retrofitting permeable pavements in urban areasthat either feature existing trees or should be planted with trees in the near future.There isalso a need for a geospatial decision support tool for different professions such as drainageengineers and urban planners, which is useful for a quick assessment of the potential ofecosystem services when retrofitting sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) in urban areasTherefore the aim is to develop adecision support tool for choosing the best possibleoptions for theretrofitting ofsustainable urban drainage system techniquesusing novelecosystem servicevariables and modifyitto includeareflection of the confidence level oftheassessorto minimise uncertainty,andweighting factors that will reflect theprofessional background of thestakeholders to reduce professional bias.Thistool wasdeveloped andused to assess 100 sites in Greater Manchester withretrofittingpotentials including Brownfield sites.The introduced weighting factors helpedtonarrow down the choicesfurther.Since the retrofitting ofSUDS, especially permeablepavements, and other urban development projects usually involve areas where there arealready existing mature trees, further studies were carried out on the damagecharacteristics of urban tree species on urban structures including permeable pavements,impermeablepavements, kerbs, roads and retaining walls. This was conducted on adifferent 100 sites also in Greater Manchester. Further studies were also carried out aboutpublic acceptance of the urban tree species using pictures taken of trees from theWestonbirt National Arboretum.The resultsof the ‘ecosystem service’ approachwere compared with thoseoftraditional‘community and environmental’approachdeveloped by CIRIA.A comparisonwith the traditional approach of determining community and environment variablesindicates that permeable pavements are generally a preferredSUDSoption regardless ofthe professional perspectives.The introduced weighting factorsmade the toollend itself tobe used by stakeholders of varying professional backgrounds.The results of thecomparison of the different approaches showed that the ‘ecosystem service’ approach gavea rather more thorough and precise assessment and will give a less misleading choice ofSUDStechniques.In comparison to common public opinion, statistically significantdifferences between social scientists and the general public for the estimation ofland costsusing the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test were found. It was also surprising to findno significant differences in the estimation ofhabitat for speciesby civil engineers andxviiiecologists.Permeable pavements combined with urban trees received relatively highscores, because of their great potential impact in terms of water and air qualityimprovement, and flood control, respectively.Theresultofthe assessmentof damages to structures by urban tree speciesrevealed that Norway maple, Lime, Common Ash and Sycamore dominated GreaterManchester, andshowed that certain tree species are better suited for certain structureseither because ofthe damage or the nuisance that the trees cause. Impermeable pavementswere subject to the highest number of damage from trees (44%), followed by permeablepavements and kerbs (22% and 19%, respectively).Trees planted close to impermeablepavements will cause more damage to the structure compared to those planted close topermeable pavements under the same conditions. Wild cherry, large leaved lime, horsechestnut and hawthorn may are the best recommended trees for use alongsidemostroadsandSUDSstructures as they have least potential to damage structures. However, horsechestnuts produce lots of litters with their conkers. From aesthetics point of view,sycamore was the most aesthetic tree all-round the year.This study therefore suggests best tree species for permeable pavements and otherrelated structures, and its outcomes are likely to lead to more combined permeablepavement and tree systems in the urban landscape, which are beneficial for humans andthe environment.It will help urban developers inchoosing the most suitable trees for theright urban environment. It will also help to save money in maintaining infrastructure suchas roads and pavements.Keywords:Sustainable urban drainage systems; Ecosystem services; Permeablepavements; Expertsystem; Different professions;Stakeholders;Uncertainty; Urban trees;Urban structures, Structural damage."],"dc:identifier":["oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1404530"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/file/1404530/1/Uzomah%20combined%20thesis.pdf"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:relation.isreferencedby":["https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/output/1404530"],"dc:title":["Rapid decision support tool based on novel ecosystem service variables for retrofitting sustainable drainage systems in the presence of trees"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Doctoral (Level 8)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:26:44Z"}