Cardiff Rain Gardens

 As part of my dissertation research, I visited Cardiff over the weekend to analyse and photograph the controversial roadside rain gardens. Comparing the striving ones in the city centre, to the extremely nearby but contested installations on Tudor Street that have received great media backlash. 

The visit quite plainly laid out the parameters for successful SuD implementation in urban areas, as the success of schemes like these is strongly tied to the reactions of the surrounding community. The Cardiff schemes were implemented identically, same retention pod design, similar planting, same materials. The only difference being the area in which they are located. The ones in the attached photos are located in the city centre on Wood Street, where the surrounding use is primarily office and commuter-based. While the "failed" scheme runs along Tudor Street whose demographic is residential and small business. 

For SuD schemes like these to be welcomed, they cannot replace a required public infrastructure like parking. Which is what happened on Tudor Street and is what has caused the discontent. In comparison, the Wood Street scheme helped to create a green buffer for pedestrians and cyclists from vehicle traffic and therefore adds more than just its drainage features.