Asphalt out, green in!
Concepts of new raingardens in Bydgoszcz are ready to implement
Raingardens: innovative solutions in urban water management
City of Bydgoszsz decided to develop the local urban water managment. One of the pillars of the related strategic documents is the improvement of rainwater utilization with innovative and solutions. The city prepared several coneptual designs of raingardens for selected public utility buildings. The experts of the municipality expect from the attractive plans to speed up the financing and implementation.
The concept is to constitute the basis for construction projects or detailed land development plans, as well as to serve as an input document when applying for external funds to finance rainwater management investments through the use of nature-based solutions of their retention and use at the source. The developed document is also the basis for implementing the strategy of increasing the resilience of the area to threats resulting from climate change.
Implementation in the doostep
The most important strategic and planning documents were reviewed, covering the area and directions of development of the city of Bydgoszcz, in the light of which this conceptual design for changing the rainwater management system was prepared. Taking into account identified ground and water conditions, local challenges and aesthetic aspects, the following solutions for green and blue infrastructure were proposed.
1) Building A at 9-15 Grudziądzka street
Rain garden in a container (option 1) with an area of 12 m2,
2) City Hall building at 1 Jezuicka street
• Rain garden in a container with an area of 2.04 m2,
• Internal patio between the buildings at 6-14 Jezuicka street and 7-13 Przyrzecze street
• Rain garden in a container with an area of 1.52 m2.
3) The building of the Wedding Palace at 8A Sielanka street
• Rain garden in a container (option 1), area of 1.68 m2,
• Rain garden in a container (option 2), area of 1.86 m2, gross.
4) Building of the Youth House of Culture No. 2 at 42 Stanisława Leszczyńskiego street
• Rain garden in a container with an area of 2.48 m2,
• Unsealing of an impermeable surface of 50 m2 and three decorative rainwater tanks with a total capacity of 1500 liters.
5) Building of the School and Educational Center No. 3 at 12 Graniczna street
• Rain garden in a container with an area of 12.08 m2,
• In-ground rain garden with an area of 10 m2,
• Unsealing of an impermeable surface of 30 m2 and three decorative rainwater tanks with a total capacity of 1500 liters.
6) Complex of Schools and Institutions No. 1 at 53 Stawowa street
• In-ground rain garden with an area of 45 m2,
• Bioretention cells with an area of 48 m2 and 17 m2.
The most favourable locations are Grudziądzka street where all public services are located and Youth and Culture Center. The two raingardens probably will be implemented in frame of CWC project.
It is foreseen to emphasis on public participation during the implementation of the concept design. The contribution of the local community in the creation of, for example, the proposed rain gardens in the ground and in containers is not only a joint action to strengthen biodiversity, but also an opportunity to demonstrate the advantages of using green-blue infrastructure that will potentially inspire and find its followers. It is also worth considering the installation of a monitoring system to further enhance the recommended solutions’ demonstrative character.
