Let it dRain: Co-designing rain gardens in Timisoara
Let it dRain proposes the integration of a rain garden into a neighbourhood from Timisoara, transforming an underutilised park into an urban greenery oasis, through participatory urbanism. This co-design process can result in several positive outcomes that include reconnecting people with nature, regaining local attachment, adaptation to climate change, biodiversity enhancement, community inclusion, and above all, the awareness of these aspects in order to reinforce these process outcomes.
Local
Romania
Timișoara Municipality
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Local Development Institute – Think Global Act Local Type of organisation: Non-governmental First name of representative: Ioana Maria Last name of representative: Ursache Age: 25 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Gender: Female Nationality: Romania Function: Urban Development Consultant Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Street Timisoarei, number 2A Town: Reșița Postal code: 320232 Country: Romania Direct Tel:+40 753 389 675 E-mail:ioana@urbanizehub.com Website:https://urbanizehub.com/
Cities are currently in need of opportunities to protect themselves from flooding and blue-green solutions are used to adapt to climate change and limit its effects on urban areas. This project proposes the integration of a rain garden into a neighbourhood from Timisoara, transforming an underutilised park into an urban greenery oasis. Rain gardens are areas with planted grass and flowering perennials that collect rainwater from roofs, driveways, or streets, allowing it to soak into the ground. There are technical, operational, and ecological benefits, as well as social and health profits resulting from the use of rain gardens in the city.
This design process can result in several positive outcomes that include reconnecting people with nature, regaining local attachment, adaptation to climate change, biodiversity enhancement, community inclusion, and above all, the awareness of these aspects in order to reinforce these process outcomes. The resulting co-designed and co-created place is healthy in the sense that it has the capacity for self-regeneration and growth and also because it encourages and sustains healthy habits and lifestyles for the members of the community and visitors. This participatory approach will also encourage the development of new relationships which in turn can lead to more innovative ways of working, creative solutions and, potentially deeper systems-level change.
Nature-based solutions
Water management
Sustainable urban design
Climate change mitigation
Neighbourhood cohesion
The project represents an alternative to the classical urban regeneration practices, having a life-centred perspective and aiming to improve the overall living conditions. Rain gardens represent blue-green solutions that help protect the environment and use rainfall resources for various purposes as rainfall patterns become increasingly diverse. Therefore, the garden will contribute to reducing the rapid run-off of rainwater from streets into drains, thus preventing street flooding and reducing the amount of water reaching the sewage treatment plant. These drainage systems also mitigate the impact of soil and water pollution caused by traffic or excess nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.) as they collect and filter rainwater through vegetation, removing chemicals and sediments from rainfall run-off. Moreover, rain gardens improve biodiversity as they can be planted with a wide range of plants such as shrubs, perennial flowering plants and grasses while preserving the green space. In the proposed space, native plants can be used, thus fertilizers or pesticides will not be required, preserving the quality of the soil. As rain gardens are not standing wet areas, they can be easily integrated into public realm projects, revitalising existing spaces in neighbourhoods and promoting sustainable practices among residents. Thus, by integrating a rain garden into an existing park in Șag neighbourhood, it can increase community engagement, raise awareness about environmental issues such as flooding and pollution and provide an open, green space for harmonious interaction with the natural environment. Its placement near the middle school can offer children innovative learning experiences, improving their skills and knowledge about sustainability.
Rain gardens provide various benefits for neighbourhoods. Aesthetics is embedded in the improved design and functionality of the area, facilitated through the implementation of biophilic design principles. Through the use of natural elements, the area will be clearly delimitated regaining both its function in the neighbourhood, as well as the necessary quality to be regarded as a green public space. Besides their bio-retention function, transforming underutilised or degraded public spaces into rain gardens can improve the overall neighbourhood aesthetics. The rain garden will therefore adopt various planting styles, including colourful ornamental plants, stones, gravels and furniture that can beautify the space in any season. The aim of this project is to connect people with nature, therefore, the park will become an oasis of greenery between residential buildings in the Șag neighbourhood. The rain garden will improve the visual comfort and the quality of experience, increasing the aesthetical value of the place and promoting community feelings. The park will include a playground for the children living in the neighbourhood or for those who study at Secondary School 2 as they will be able to spend time in nature, after school or during their free time. The school will be able to use the space as a living lab and adults will benefit from a renewed space for socialisation and relaxation.
Community gardens promote the transformation and enhancement of public space with the purpose of fostering social solidarity and integration. The project will bring together people of all ages, and socio-economic conditions as well as vulnerable groups to play, learn and design an open and safe space for interaction and knowledge exchange. The proposed design will be open and accessible to all, from children to the elderly and to people suffering from various disabilities. This will be based on the use of soft materials, tools and patterns, striving for age and gender-inclusive design. The park will be laid out in a way that is easily accessible to wheelchair users or mothers with pushchairs, blind people, and the elderly, removing all obstacles that would hinder access to the area. The playground furniture will also be adapted for children with disabilities so that they can enjoy the playground too. The pathways in the park will be laid out in such a way that they do not present obstacles to movement.
This project of urban regeneration through rain gardens starts from constant intergenerational dialogue, engages vulnerable groups, true models of resilience and pays attention to the nature around us, positively influencing the development of attachment to human and non-human communities and places.
Although the local governance structure has a significant role in terms of upkeeping the garden, it is ultimately the residents who are the decision-makers in sustaining it. Local satisfaction is crucial in the overall sustainability of the site, which includes aesthetics, safety and landscape value. The most important factor is the emphasis on the sense of place and attachment to the community through participation and the reinforcement of the community identity. Residents, pupils and teachers will be involved in the design process, working together with the project team and local authorities. Sustainability workshops will be organised by the team and specialists during which the community will get familiar with the project’s objectives and will provide input on the overall design proposal. Once the transformation proposal is validated by the community, a gardening training session will be organised for citizens and they will voluntarily take part in the transformation. Teachers will facilitate communication with pupils, ensuring a high level of participation and proactivity, offering them an opportunity to learn by playing, as well as having parental consent.
Having contributed to the transformation from an underutilised site into a park, the community members would be eager to continue the process in both the physical and the systematic formats. It is important that the residents understand that the identity created around the community garden allows such efforts to take place. Therefore, the community becomes resilient through the collective effort and their agency reaches beyond the garden boundaries and can be used for other urban regeneration projects.
The approach to the proposed project actively involves end-users and stakeholders throughout the entire process and takes advantage of the different expertise that they provide. The key New European Bauhaus principles are also integrated into the project. The proposed solution integrates a multilevel approach as it aligns with the EU’s sustainability goals and regulations, as well as national and regional priorities. This project represents a transdisciplinary approach and collective effort, involving the local administration (Timișoara Municipality), landscape architects, NGOs, teachers, pupils and civil society. Participation is key to the transformation from space to place, forging a new shared and territorially rooted identity which will ensure the overall sustainability and resilience of the implemented solution. The main target groups benefiting from the project are the neighbourhood’s residents and pupils. Therefore, the intervention approach will be designed through wide, iterative consultation, while the interventions themselves (participatory workshops, training volunteers and community members, gardening work etc.) will be adapted in time to the needs, interests and capacities of the various individuals and groups that took part in the transformation. The neighbourhood will get an opportunity to come together for the common good, sharing knowledge and experience. Local authorities will support the development of the project, showing commitment to bottom-up approaches to urban regeneration and gaining citizens’ trust. The landscape architects will guide the design process and training sessions, choosing the best options for the space and ensuring the projects’ efficiency and sustainability.
Successful solutions to environmental problems in a co-creation process require the combined efforts of different scientific disciplines and active dialogue between stakeholders from policy and society actors. A rain garden is a multidisciplinary facility involving engineering, hydrology, water quality, soil, horticulture, and landscape. Given that the project site is in close proximity to a school, we can also highlight the educational benefit of this concept.
An expert in urban anthropology will conduct the survey and research on how the residents of the area imagine what the rain garden would look like and what functions they require besides those focused on rainwater management. The survey will provide grounds for the urban designers to draft plans for the future public space based on the community’s input.
Experts in these fields will have periodic meetings conducted by the project manager in order to ensure coordination and collaboration among the involved staff. The experts will offer their input throughout the project and will open the discussion for the people in order to develop a sense of community ownership of the rain garden. The consortia will meet, analyze its performance during implementation, assess the impact of the project and decide if viable, and what further steps can be taken to scale the initiative.
The rain garden concept is innovative because of its flexibility. Rain gardens can be adapted to any type of space, large or small, regardless of the type of soil or the amount of direct sunlight that is in that space. The main elements of the rain garden are the plants. Plants play one of the most important roles in a rain garden. Large trees and shrubs help divert rainfall so that rainwater gets to the ground more slowly so that it doesn't run off immediately, allowing the soil to soak up moisture more slowly. Tall grasses act as filters, taking up water and trapping pollutants that might enter the soil. Short plants that are well-rooted act to stabilise the soil and direct water into the ground. Depending on the space chosen, the right plants are chosen to make the rain garden a great success.
This co-design model addresses multiple dimensions. It develops an open education infrastructure involving local human resources, starting with the design and implementation teams which include professionals, craftsmen, pupils and other groups and it uses local material resources. The nature component is enhanced with local climate-adapted plants and integrates environmental-friendly material. In terms of vulnerable groups, it includes elderly people, people of low income and persons with special needs. During the development of the project, the implementation team will apply the horizontal principles referring to gender equality and sustainable development.
The overall aim of the project is to enable and engage local communities in the process of re-designing public spaces by integrating nature-based solutions. This implies intergenerational dialogue, engages vulnerable groups and addresses sustainability goals. Therefore, the outcomes can include regaining local attachment, adaptation to climate change, biodiversity enhancement, community inclusion and sustainability awareness. The methodology of how a group of people can be involved in the co-designing of a public space can be adapted and replicated at the level of any given neighbourhood, focusing on giving a voice to people from all walks of life as well as the tools for becoming involved in the life of the community.
The concept can be fully replicated in every underused park or green space. In addition to the essential role such a space plays in terms of natural processes (water infiltration, storage, drainage, temperature regulation, etc.), the social benefit it brings is essential. The space is a place to relax, socialise and even learn. Because of its degrees of adaptability, the concept of rain gardens can be scaled to different sizes depending on the severity of the drought or storms as well as the available terrain for creating the rain garden.
In order to better document the efficiency, challenges and impact of the rain garden, following the implementation of the project, the team will research how the space contributed to combating drought and better managing pluvial water, the satisfaction degree of the residents and the eventual problems that have not been expected in the planning stages, with proposals for avoiding and solving them. The research will be published on www.urbanizehub.com and www.urbanizehub.ro in order to be made available to the large public. Furthermore, it will be promoted through the NGO's own channels on social media, channels which have reached 1.000.000 people between 2020 and 2022.
The project takes into account climate change, which through high levels of rainfall affects urban areas through flooding as the sewerage system is not coping. Timisoara is challenged by such issues and the rain garden is a green solution that can help tackle them. Moreover, the water is collected and later on distributed to plants for the periods the city confronts droughts. This strategy is scalable at the level of any urban community affected by drought or which tries to better manage the water and distribute it towards achieving sustainable goals. The solution responds to the ideals expressed in the European Green Deal on fresh air, clean water, healthy soil and biodiversity by providing the framework for authorities to scale and adapt the concept to the local conditions. Rain gardens are a concept that reduces urban flooding and helps filter pollutants from the roadway before they seep into the ground. In order to accomplish this objective, plants with a high potential for filtering the impurities from the air will be selected and planted together with the community in the selected area. Through absorption, sedimentation and filtration, the rain gardens are designed to allow infiltration of the pluvial liquids thus refilling the groundwater deposits. Depending on the area where this solution might be scaled, the plants and method of arranging them can be adapted accordingly. Another global problem this project responds to is the urban regeneration process because the rain garden is sustainable from an economical point of view and does not require high costs of maintenance. Due to the limited funds, in small and medium-sized cities public space regeneration might be scarce or resume to solutions that are not nature-based. The project responds to this challenge and offers an alternative to both public spaces and urban communities. Furthermore, this approach can help to strengthen the sense of community, bringing people together and fostering social interaction.
