CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a vivid picture of the method use by the
author to accomplish the purpose of this master thesis. This chapter also includes
the simulation techniques used as well.

3.1 DATA
The methodology used in this master thesis on wastewater partial flows in sponge
city elements utilized quantitative data approach which involved several steps to
ensure a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of sponge city elements in
managing wastewater partial flows. The data collected was confirmed using the
triangulation approach so that any errors from one source could be found and fixed.
In this project, calculations, variations in the design condition and the operating
condition, and changes to the processes can all be regarded as observations.
According to Creswell (2014), quantitative analysis is a method of inquiry that is
systematic and objective and uses statistical tools and techniques to test
hypotheses, explore cause-and-effect relationships, and measure variables in a
consistent manner. However, Targett (2012) emphasizes that it is crucial to handle
numbers carefully because mistakes might enter into the measurements and result
in incorrect statistics. In essence, all quantitative techniques are statistical.
Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics are the two categories of statistical
approaches (Targett, 2012). Descriptive measures are taken from the entire
system, and the measurements are then sorted, prioritized, rated, grouped, and
other ways to analyze the data. It is regarded as a more comprehensive approach.
Samples from existing works on sponge cities, wastewater reuse and precipitation
in rates in the Bremer Haven and Oberhausen are collected and are measured by
inferential statistics. Quantitative and qualitative approaches was used to collect
data on data on rainfall patterns, urban water sources, and wastewater flow rates in
Bremer Haven and Oberhausen including the most recently used sponge city
elements.
3.2 METHODS
The vulnerability of urbanization which increases regional impervious surface area
and climate changes is the problem to be studied within this case, where the urban
areas represent the unit in the context of the cities of Oberhausen and
Bremerhaven, with their own context-specific natural systems, political systems,
socioeconomic systems, and built environment. This thesis can be useful for other
cities in developing nations where comparable issues are common by generalizing
the findings of the case study in the cities of Oberhausen and Bremerhaven. Due to
the study area's proximity, it was not possible to perform field research in
Oberhausen and Bremerhaven on-site. As a result, the research methodologies had
to be modified so that all methods could be used remotely, depending on online
connections rather than actual connections. This thesis tried to utilize the UN-
Habitat Vulnerability Assessment approach.

3.3 UN-Habitat Vulnerability Assessment approach

In order to help urban planners better understand, evaluate, and address climate
change at the local level, UN-Habitat created the Planning for Climate Change guide
in 2014. It provides a strategic values-based approach (UN-Habitat, 2014). The
manual offers a methodical, neighborhood-based approach to decision-making that
takes into account local goals to assist establish priorities and distribute limited
resources, including time, money, and talents, to accomplish predetermined goals.
It encourages community involvement in the planning process, incorporates sound
decision-making, and offers useful resources for managing climate change through
various urban planning procedures (UN-Habitat, 2014).

This strategy is appropriate for planning the sponge city project in Oberhausen and
Bremerhaven because it is tailored to the requirements of planners in urban
settings where the difficulties are distinct and the stakes of planning for wastewater
reuse are particularly underappreciated.
 Figure 3.1. The relation between climate vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity and
adaptive capacity (Source: UN-Habitat, 2014).

An essential element in the process of preparing for climate and environmental

change is vulnerability assessment. The vulnerability framework, as shown in Figure
3.1, which defines how the vulnerability is a function of exposure, sensitivity, and
adaptive capability, serves as the foundation for the vulnerability assessment
(Polgar,2021). The degree to which exposed people, places, institutions, and sectors
are impacted by climate change is measured by their sensitivity to it, while their
adaptive capacity measures how well they can adjust to it and grow more resilient
to its effects. Exposure measures how an urban system is exposed to climate
change. Sensitivity measures how much(Polgar,2021).

For this master's thesis project, which needed to be completed remotely, and with
no allocated funds, the method proposed in Planning for Climate Adaptation, which
is primarily intended to be used by city planners but also by land management and
social development professionals, elected representatives, non-government
professionals, civil society groups, donor agencies, and academics, had to be
modified. This required a rapid scan to identify and profile vulnerable
neighborhoods and a reduction in the scope of the UN-habitat Vulnerability
Assessment technique. The "quick scan" employed for the empirical investigation of
this instrumental case study follows the following steps, which are based on the
UN-habitat Vulnerability Assessment approach:

1. Identification and analysis of related online texts and journals: In this step, a
complete list of all potentially relevant online journals and data are compiled, and
their interests in this context will be analyzed.
2. Weather and Climate change: The available data on Oberhausen and
Bremerhaven’s weather and climate will be examined to study historical trends, and
predictions of climate trends will be examined to better comprehend potential
future changes. Data on weather-related changes in Oberhausen and Bremerhaven,
as well as the current flood control and storm-water management systems, will be
gathered through online text and journals.
3. Hotspots of Vulnerability: By superimposing geospatial data on the following
categories; Natural Disasters, Quickly Growing Population, Critical Infrastructure,
Socioeconomic Sensitivity, and Informal Settlements, vulnerability hotspots will be
identified.
4. Hotspot Profiles and Recommendations. Vulnerability hotspots will be determined
using the results of the previous stage. In this step, profiles will be created for each
of these hotspots from analyses of the areas based on a combination of what was
collected from secondary data (academic literature, project reports, policy
documents, geospatial data), and recommendations will be made based on their
particular context. This phase was included to the rapid scan technique even though
it was not included in the UN-Habitat Vulnerability Assessment since it is an
important addition to the proposal of a comprehensive planning intervention that
addresses climate vulnerability in the city's most susceptible districts.

Data collection

A review of the literature will be followed by a summary of the existing research on

sponge city design and wastewater management to identify the current state of
knowledge on the topic. This included reviews on different sponge city elements
and sponge city designs, as well as waste water management and reuse in
Oberhausen and Bremerhaven. By doing so, it will be possible to prevent creating
new problems and to spot areas where existing knowledge is lacking. The
researcher can then decide how their work will contribute to knowledge
advancement. First, a greater grasp of the case's context—its natural systems,
political systems, socioeconomic systems, and physical environment—will be
achieved through desk research using secondary data. Second, information on the
current state of the vulnerability of various places in Oberhausen and Bremerhaven,
coping mechanisms, and government response can be acquired by using secondary
sources.

The final step was modeling and simulation. A hydrological model was developed to
simulate the performance of the sponge city elements under various scenarios. The
Storm Water Management model(SWMM) was used to accomplish this stage. This
step was crucial as it allowed for the evaluation of the performance of the sponge
city elements under different conditions. The hydrological model was based on the
data collected from the literature review, field data collection, and laboratory
analysis.

The combination of these methods allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of the

performance of sponge city elements in managing wastewater partial flows. The
results of this study can inform the design and implementation of more effective
and sustainable sponge city systems in the future.