Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) - More than a drainage solution?

The paper presents a case study of a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) for a new residential development as part of an inner-city regeneration programme in Sheffield, England. The study utilises semi-structured interviews with stakeholders of the scheme as a means of understanding both the challenges faced at the initiation stage and from then on the drivers and facilitators of the scheme. The paper analyses the distribution of impacts of the scheme and draws attention to the additional and extensive benefits of SUDS which go beyond those experienced from conventional drainage solutions. In this respect the scheme demonstrates sustainability in the widest sense of meeting both eco-justice and eco-efficiency objectives.