Low Impact Water Sensitive Urban Design

Low impact Water Sensitive Urban Design is described as the “Integration of Urban Planning and Development with the Management, Protection and Conservation of the water cycle.”

Key principles of Permapave Low Impact, Water Sensitive Urban Design are:

1. Protection and enhancement of natural water systems within urban developments.
2. Protection and improvement of the quality of water draining from urban developments into outfall waterways.
3. Reduction of runoff and peak flows from urban development by the incorporation of local detention measures ad reduction of impervious substrates within the development.
4. Adding value to the urban development by minimalizing drainage infrastructure.

Utilising Permapave solutions for Low Impact Water Sensitive Urban design has two principal advantages.  Firstly, most existing urban areas can be retrospectively upgraded to provide the advantages of Low Impact Water Sensitive urban Design.  And secondly, Permapave Low Impact solutions require either no land or substantially less land than other available solutions.

Four unique design solutions for Low Impact WSUD using Permapave are:

1. Inner City or main Street Low impact Water Sensitive Urban Design
2. Rain gardens using Permapave
3. Wide verge using Permapave
4. Conventional Kerb and channel using Permapave