City Greening by Rain Gardens - Costs and Benefits

Abstract

In urban areas, the most pressing adaptation challenges are associated with the problem of poor retention of rainstorm water. Hence, recommended actions focus on improving rainwater retention in the landscape. One of the strategic direction of adaptation to climate change is including green infrastructure solutions like green roofs, green walls, water reservoirs along streets - supplying high vegetation, permeable ground cover and rain gardens. Due to a variety of proposals, the costs and benefits resulting from the implementation of a chosen solution should be regarded when selecting an appropriate action. Considering the above, the article attempts to show the costs and benefits of one of the solutions - a green garden. When analysing the cost of green garden implementation, account should be taken of the cost of investment and upholding, as well as the alternative cost of land use. Then again, the benefits of the rain garden comprise the losses avoided by limiting the effects of rainstorm as well as improving the quality and quantity of water in the urban landscape. The cost and benefit monetization makes it possible to decide on the financial viability of implementing rain gardens in the city.

Benefits, Inconveniences, and Facilities of the Application of Rain Gardens in Urban Spaces from the Perspective of Climate Change—A Review

“…The environmental gains in terms of water protection are also directly related to the management of rainwater by rain gardens. When listing the benefits assigned to water management in the catchment area, some rain gardens (the so-called "dry" ones) recharge groundwater [11,29,33]. Rain gardens affect not only the amount of rainwater, but also the quality.…”

“…They preserve natural vegetation [14] and biodiversity [17], and even increase biodiversity [24]. The authors of [33] mention an additional benefit-pollination.…”

“…The benefits of using these gardens also include improving the aesthetics of the area or providing visual amenities [16,33]. They can be planned as elements of a landscape [10].…”

Blue-green infrastructure as a new trend and an effective tool for water management in urban areas

“…2018). The location of such facilities is of strategic importance, which is why they are most often placed near storm sewers (Siwiec et al 2018). Yuan et al (2017) recommended locating them alongside roads, sidewalks, or buildings as these gardens have the ability to effectively retain rainwater.…”

“…Rain gardens are primarily used to mitigate the effects of excessive rainfall by collecting and treating rainwater. It is estimated that rain gardens retain about 30% more water in the ground than lawns (Siwiec et al 2018). They improve water retention, which is of great importance in mitigating the effects of climate change (e.g.…”