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City streets

Sponge city concepts for city streets

Our cities are criss-crossed by major traffic routes. Roads take up a large part of the area and, following the model of the car-friendly city, are still primarily designed for motorised vehicles. The high levels of traffic have a negative impact on people, nature and infrastructure.

Urban trees are often a feature of busy streets. However, urban greenery is usually confined to narrow spaces between parking bays and pavements. Lack of space, high concentrations of pollutants and increasing water shortages put the plants under considerable stress, with the result that many urban trees stop growing or even die within a few years. Trees only reach their full climate protection potential after about 20 years, when they have developed a large crown. The larger the crown diameter, the more effective urban trees are at absorbing particulate matter and CO2 from the air, providing shade and lowering temperatures through evaporative cooling.

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The urban tree in the urban water cycle

Urban trees are essential for the water cycle. They contribute to evaporation and need a lot of water themselves, which they absorb through their roots. In natural habitats, vegetation is watered via the water cycle. In cities, the conditions are more difficult: precipitation is often quickly drained away so that the water cannot seep away sufficiently and irrigate the urban greenery. Urban trees are often located in polluted environments where pollutants from street runoff impair water quality. Modern decentralised rainwater management imitates the natural water cycle, prevents harmful substance inputs and improves the urban climate.

Water Cycle City Streets

Sustainable tree protection therefore contributes directly to the health of the city's inhabitants. Based on its expertise in drainage, ACO has focused on the treatment and reuse of surface water. Using a flexibly combinable modular system, even heavily polluted water from traffic areas is treated using state-of-the-art technology, stored in cisterns and made available to plants during dry periods via intelligent irrigation systems instead of being discharged into the sewerage system. By avoiding mains water, potential bottlenecks in drinking water supplies can be avoided and groundwater reserves conserved.

The technical solutions for irrigation of urban green spaces are designed to meet the specific needs of local authorities and are planned and implemented in close consultation with urban planners and landscape architects. With its wide range of products, ACO can provide the right system for every project, from modular individual systems to complete self-sufficient solutions.

For more info please contact our experts
Stephan Kehren

“Urban trees should be able to develop healthily despite difficult soil and traffic conditions.”

Stephan Kehren
ACO Green City Expert, ACO GmbH

Other relevant products in the Sponge City modular system

Kombination Multiline Seal In V100 132430 Edelstahl Gussrost Voronoi Gross
Stormclean 2200 Top Cover Komplett Gross
Stormbrixx 914-sd Installation 1-layer-with-side-walls-and-top-covers Fleece Gross Optimized

ACO Multiline Seal in is the channel that comes with a seal at the joint as standard. In addition to ACO polymer concrete or the new NEXITE® material, the captive 2K seal is an essential component of the Seal in technology. With a wide range of designer gratings, there are no limits to design freedom.

ACO DRAIN® Multiline Seal

ACO DRAIN® Multiline NX

The combination of sedimentation and a substrate filter stage forms the basis for cleaning surface water. The ACO Stormclean removes filterable substances as well as heavy metals and light liquids and can be used prior to infiltration or discharge into water bodies.

ACO Sedimentation devices

As an infiltration system, ACO Stormbrixx promotes the natural water cycle. Pre-cleaned rainwater is collected in the block trench. It gradually seeps into the ground, helping to recharge the groundwater.
The trench is lined with a waterproofing membrane and is suitable for retention.

The ACO Stormbrixx family - Infiltration, Retention and Reuse