The Dirtiest Drop: Rethinking Rain in Our Cities
For decades, the way we designed drainage in our towns and cities followed a simple principle: get water away from buildings as quickly as possible. Pipes, tanks and underground infrastructure were designed to move rainwater off site and into sewers or nearby watercourses. But what we have learned over the last few years is that the first […]
Importance of preparing cities for ‘El Nino’ climate events
A ‘Super El Niño’ is set to make 2027 one of the hottest years on record, with temperatures potentially exceeding 40°C again in the UK, according to scientists reported in The Times. Our cities and towns must be prepared to help cool neighbourhoods, provide much needed shade and support healthier urban environments as climate pressures continue to intensify. […]
Why Water, Soil and Landscape Must Shape Future Development
What stood out at UKREiiF 2026, across a range of sessions and conversations, was how often different speakers and disciplines were circling the same ground. Water, resilience, public realm and stewardship surfaced repeatedly across conversations that had little else in common, and increasingly they were being discussed not as separate considerations to be resolved by […]
Raingardens That Perform
Raingardens are designed to manage rainfall where it lands. Instead of sending water straight into underground pipes, they slow, store and treat runoff at the surface, reducing pressure on drainage networks while improving water quality and enhancing the spaces around them. When designed properly, raingardens become more than a landscape feature. They are dependable infrastructure, working every day […]
The Three Keys to Successful SuDS Implementation
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are most effective when they are treated as a core part of urban design rather than a technical exercise that sits at the edge of a project. Too often, surface water is addressed late in the process, once layouts are fixed and space is limited. At that point, options narrow and […]
Nature-based SuDS should be the default. What’s holding them back?
For more than a decade, the UK has broadly agreed on the direction of travel for surface water management. Policy documents reference it. Guidance supports it. Demonstration projects prove it. Designers increasingly understand how to deliver it. And yet, across much of England, nature-based Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are still often delivered through planning negotiation […]
Healthy Soil Systems in Tree Pits Are the Foundation of Climate-Resilience
When we think about the infrastructure that keeps cities running, we picture roads, drains, cables and pipes. Yet beneath our feet lies another form of infrastructure that is just as critical, though it often escapes attention: soil. In the context of urban environments, soil should be understood as an active, living system rather than simply […]
Drought today, deluge tomorrow – but there’s a solution for climate whiplash
It wouldn’t be a British summer without a crop of news platform articles about how hot, cold, wet or dry it is. And there’s more to hit the headlines than in the past, too. Britain’s summer weather patterns – so long associated with rain that jokes about a Bank Holiday correlating with a certain downpour […]
Shaping Safe Streets with Urban Trees
Cities in the UK are changing. New developments are expected to serve multiple functions, from moving people efficiently, to offering access to nature and keeping communities safe from both crime and climate-related risks. As this shift continues, there is growing recognition that trees are essential to how we build safer places to live and work. […]
The Importance of Urban Trees in Stormwater Management
When heavy rains hit urban areas, traditional drainage systems can become overwhelmed within minutes, turning streets into rivers and overwhelming sewage systems. As cities continue to expand and climate change intensifies weather patterns, this problem is only getting worse. Street trees, however, present a proven natural solution to these urban stormwater management challenges. The Problem […]