Planting for pollinators, planting apple trees, leaving the dandelions on our existing green spaces are all part of greening our town, but something else is happening underfoot … Hans Zomer draws our eyes to more concrete facts. He writes:

Did you know that there is also another quiet revolution happening in our town?

More and more people in Skerries are calling for “depaving” — rolling back the tendency to cover our gardens and streets with concrete or stones, and reclaiming paved surfaces for nature.

And their motive is not just aesthetics; it has also got to do with adjusting to our  future of extreme weather events. After all, the impermeable surfaces that blanket our streets, gardens and footpaths – such as concrete, tarmac and stone slabs – contribute to flooding and biodiversity loss. 

Rain that falls on covered surfaces runs off immediately, and risks overwhelming our drainage systems. In contrast, green spaces and natural gardens soak up the rainfall, reducing the amount of runoff and the resulting risk of flooding in our town.

But the benefits of depaving extend beyond flood resilience. Green spaces created through depaving projects provide sanctuaries for native flora and fauna, and capture the dust and pollutants that otherwise would have ended up in our watercourses.

What’s more, the scientific evidence that green spaces are better for our mental health than built up environments is mounting. Researchers have also found that green public spaces encourage people to walk rather than drive, meaning people take more exercise. 

In short, the time has come to heed the call of “depaving”; to peel back the layers of concrete, and “pave the way” for a brighter, greener tomorrow for everyone.

Depaving in Pierce County, Washington. Image: Wikipedia, By STORM Outreach – https://www.flickr.com/photos/132714403@N02/46093120691/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124717459