Just one or two decades ago, what is now considered common knowledge seemed almost like a curse and was widely questioned. Cities were planned to regulate rivers and streams, accelerating runoff and freeing up more land for economic development related to residential, commercial, and industrial construction. As a result, impervious surfaces increased, while areas of natural retention were gradually destroyed.
More and more often, we face a choice: additional meters of drainage infrastructure, or a fundamental shift in the paradigm of stormwater management. This presentation is based on selected examples from Wrocław, where stormwater retention has been intentionally integrated into the landscape as a systemic, multifunctional, socially accepted element inspired by nature-based solutions. The focus will not only be on what we do, but above all on how we are changing long-established approaches.
In the Olszówka area, for instance, following community protests, the city abandoned the traditional solution of constructing a stormwater collector discharging directly into the Ślęza River. Instead, existing natural and landscape conditions were used to slow down runoff and retain water at the point of rainfall. The natural streambed, existing tree stands, and ecosystem continuity were preserved. The result was not only improved hydrological safety, but also the creation of a new public park and a model example of cooperation between residents, designers, and local authorities.
Another example is Nowy Targ Square in Wrocław, where the urban landscape was designed as an active element of stormwater retention, combining representative, recreational, and hydrological functions.
The presentation will also address planned actions in the Wojszyce Green Wedge, where a forest retention park is intended to emerge between expanding housing developments. Withdrawing part of the planned construction will allow for the protection of the lowest-lying areas within the critical Brochówka River catchment and the creation of a buffer space of supra-local importance.