More and more cities are beginning to realise the reality that we are designing cities that are constantly challenged by heavy rainfall and flooding. Especially in waterfront areas, where the terrain is low and drainage is slow, a single downpour can turn a street into a river. In the face of such an urban environment, the seemingly insignificant facility of ‘rain gardens’ is quietly changing our design logic.
A rain garden is no ordinary flower bed. It is actually a kind of ‘green pressure-relief valve’ for the city – through low-lying terrain, water-tolerant plants and permeable soil, rainwater is collected and infiltrated into the ground, slowing down the pressure on the drainage system. Compared to multi-million pound underground drainage projects, this approach is cheaper, more flexible, and enhances the ecology and aesthetics of the surrounding environment.
Fig1. Rain Garden (https://everythingbackyard.net/build-a-rain-garden/)
In urban design, we often talk about “sense of place” and “resilience”. However, if the design only stops at laying bricks and planting trees and creating landscape vignettes, it will be powerless in the face of climate problems. Truly forward-thinking design should pull natural systems back into the city and create a symbiosis with it. A rain garden is a good entry point. It is not a stand-alone decoration, but a ‘green link’ between the street system, open space, and building boundaries.
Projects such as the Lene-Voigt Park in Leipzig, Germany, have successfully transformed a contaminated railway site into a multi-purpose park with stormwater management and community activities, changing not only the landscape, but also people’s relationship with urban water (Kabisch, 2019). Such cases illustrate that design does not have to be ‘high’ but rather ‘visible’ to see what happens when it rains. In addition, the study points to the fact that green infrastructure is more cost-effective and adaptable when dealing with future flooding scenarios. ‘Natural-based solutions are often superior in terms of multiple benefits and lifecycle management compared to traditional engineering measures.’ (Lafortezza et al., 2018)
Fig2. Lene-Voigt Park (https://www.luftbildsuche.de/info/luftbilder/lene-voigt-park-leipzig-75897.html)
Nowadays, in urban renewal projects, we should also ask more realistic questions: Is this piece of land prone to waterlogging? Is there a place for rainwater to slow down? Will the public be willing to interact with such a green space? Don’t forget that even a ditch planted with grass and wildflowers may hold up the whole neighbourhood for a few crucial hours during the next rainstorm.
Ultimately, rain gardens remind us that urban design is not just about drawing and modelling, but also about anticipating and responding to the future of everyday life. It is not an ‘idealistic’ attempt, but a very realistic strategy.
Reference List：
Kabisch, N. (2019).Transformation of urban brownfields through co-creation: the multi-functional Lene-Voigt Park in Leipzig as a case in point. Urban Transform 1, 2. [Online] Available at:https://doi.org/10.1186/s42854-019-0002-6 (Accessed: 18 May 2025).
Lafortezza,R. et al. (2018) ‘Assessing the effectiveness of green infrastructures on urban flooding reduction: A community scale study’, Environmental Research, 163, pp. 135–142. [Online] Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935117317115 (Accessed: 18 May 2025).
Fig1. Rain Garden. (2023) [Online] Available at: https://everythingbackyard.net/build-a-rain-garden/ (Accessed: 18 May 2025).
Fig2. Lene-Voigt Park. (2006) [Online] Available at: https://www.luftbildsuche.de/info/luftbilder/lene-voigt-park-leipzig-75897.html (Accessed: 18 May 2025).
