Road rain gardens and planting Åbyhøj, Århus

Road rain gardens can do much more then infiltrate and delay the stormwater from the road. They can be a flowering feature in the urban environment. By combining the blue and  the green elements roads can be so at one and the same time give an major challenge while enriching the city with flowers and insects. Heavy rains, floods and pressure on the sewer systems are challenges that will only become more and more evident. Therefore it si necessary to think in alternatives and value-creating solutions to create sustainable and long-lived cities.

In Åbyhøj v. Aarhus, 22 flowering road rain gardens have been created across three residential roads. The rain gardens vary in size between 15 and 18 square meters, which is why we have worked on the thesis, that it is important to choose few but very long-flowering species and varieties, so that the beds do not look cluttered or confusing to residents and people passing p-by. At the same time, it was a desire that each rain garden on the three roads should have its own identity while creating a red thread across the three roads. Therefore, the work has been based on a gross plant composition, which has been mixed in 6 different ways, but with several species returning.

The establishment has been divided over 3 stages. The first rain gardens were planted in June 2019, then the second stage followed in September 2019 and the third and last stage in March / April 2020.In September, when the second stage was planted, a walk-and-talk was invited so that the residents could go for a walk with the company and get answers to any questions they might have regarding the planting. It was a very pleasant afternoon with super good talk about planting, traffic speed, aesthetics, weeds and much more.

Links
https://byblomst.dk/projekt/lar-regnvandsbed/

Photos

   
Rain garden A) Immediately after planting - June 12, 2019.   Rain garden A) 1 month after planting - July 12, 2019.

Rain garden A) 2 months after planting – August 8, 2019.

        
Rain garden B) 1 month after planting – July 11, 2019.          Rain garden B) 2 months after planting – August 8, 2019.

Rain garden C) 2 months after planting – August 8, 2019.

    
Rain garden D) 1 month after planting – July 11,2019.           Rain garden D) 2months after planting – August 8, 2019.