In an attempt to limit the consequences of increased rain flow on the infrastructure of its cities, Dutch urban developers have partnered with architects and designers in the Netherlands to engineer an innovative design for the tiles that line its city streets. Called the Rain(a)way project, developers of this low cost, attainable and eco-friendly initiative use a uniquely formulated pattern that is designed over tiles in the cities walkways to direct rainwater into suitable drainage systems. As simple as reinventing the outside design of bricks and tiles that are used to make up our city’s pedestrian waterways, American scientists and urban planners can utilize this idea to alleviate the increasingly harmful effects of flooding and puddle forming across Manhattan island as a result of swelling rainfall.
This redesigned brick overlay known as the Ebb tile is a perfect complement to something else New York urban planners should consider utilizing in cities walkways called the flood tile. This tile collects the water driven its way by ebb tile designs and lets it seep into the ground through tiny water-permeable openings. These tiles, if introduced to Manhattan, can replace traditional “closed pavement tiles”making natural water infiltration a very tangible reality of the city and a major step forward in the push for large scale flood preparation and reaction to increased rainfall/storm damage.
sources:
https://www.smart-magazine.com/rainaway-pavement-design/
https://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/7-cities-with-great-green-projects-others-should-imitate.html
