This UK city's bike lanes double as rain gardens and wildlife habitats

Cardiff, Wales is combining bike infrastructure with water conservation, designing new cycle paths that also function as rain gardens and provide habitats for local wildlife. The greenery also offers shade, cools the surrounding area and helps filter air pollutants. 

According to an article by Laura Laker in Bloomberg CityLab, "This multi-purpose design is a pragmatic response to the current pressures on UK cities and regions to deliver more for less." The multiple uses also allow officials to access different funding sources. 

As Laker explains, "Cardiff’s initiative was spurred in part by a new law across Wales requiring that so-called sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) be incorporated into any built structures that impact rainfall absorption over an area of 100 square meters (1,076 square feet), including cycle paths." Across the United Kingdom, cities are replacing concrete gutters with permeable surfaces and greenery. "These schemes reflect a growing push to treat 'green' and 'blue' areas as critical infrastructure because they serve functions (such as cooling and pollution management) that are not just desirable but essential."