The aesthetics of sustainable storm water management: A raingarden case study in the Agripolis campus, Italy

In the recent past the fast and extensive urbanization in north eastern Italy has greatly increased the presence of impervious surfaces. At the same time rainstorms, particularly in the summer, have become more frequent and intense. Runoff interception and storm water management have become a critical problem for the urbanized areas. Landscape designers have the opportunity of contributing to the mitigation of the problem, by incorporating appropriate solutions in the design of residential gardens, corporate and institutional landscapes, and public green spaces. Rain gardens are one of the solutions that, using grading and vegetation to intercept and reduce water runoff, combines aesthetic quality objectives with functional gains, contributing to the development of a more sustainable landscape. In the experiment two, differently sized, circular rain gardens were designed and built to intercept equal amounts of runoff from a building roof in the School of Agriculture Campus at the University of Padua.