1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Göteborg (FUA)
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Kvibergs park regnrabatter
Short description of the intervention
The largest rain gardens in Sweden (thus far) has been created in Göteborg (Kviberg park). Kviberg's multisport arena was completed in the summer of 2015 in the northeastern part of Göteborg. Around the facility, there are parking spaces with a capacity for 500 cars. In order to handle the rainwater flowing from the parking area, approximately five per cent of the total area has been used for rain gardens, which both clean and store the rainwater. (Ref. 1, 2)
Address

Arena Parkering Plats
Kviberg
41528 Göteborg
Sweden

Total area
13500.00m²
NBS area
700.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS
Open car parking space
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2015
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2015
End date of the intervention
2016
Present stage of the intervention
Please specify "other" stage of the intervention
In June 2015, the city completed one of the country's first rain gardens, and in 2016 its function was evaluated. (Ref. 3)
Goals of the intervention
The objectives of the project are:
1. To create rain gardens that clean the water from the parking at Kviberg’s multisports arena.
2. Fulfill the city of Göteborg's aim of natural water treatment that the city will strive for.
3. Save the Säveån, a closely located Natura 2000 area from the drained wastewater of the parking space.
4. Reduce the stormwater burden of the city. (Ref. 2, 1)
Quantitative targets
1. To create a rain garden of about 700 square meters, which corresponds to approximately 5% of the total parking space. (Ref. 2)
2. To create a rain garden designed to delay 10-20 millimeters of rain per m2 of parking space. (Ref. 1)
Monitoring indicators defined
Delaying of rainwater from the parking space for a 2-year rainfall. (i.e. "larger rain" that statistically comes every two years). (Ref. 1)
Implementation activities
In some parts of Göteborg floods have been a common problem. In heavy rain, it happens among other things that large amounts of rainwater from water pipes penetrate into wastewater pipes, which may overload them. The consequences are that unclean wastewater flows right into the city's watercourses. At Kviberg's multisport arena, it is extra important to clean the water flowing from the plant because Säveån, a Natura 2000 area, is located close by. In June 2015, the city completed one of the country's first rain gardens. The rain garden is a pilot project (demo site) for sluggish stormwater drainage and is located at the Kviberg's multisport arena. The rain gardens have two functions, to filter pollutants from the parking space and to slow down large water flows to avoid floods when it rains a lot. Using the right material in the plant bed is a must for a functioning plant. The top layer consists of plant soil, in this layer mainly the purification takes place. The water should flow through easily and therefore the soil should have a low content of clay and high sand content. It is also important to have the right content of organic material for the plants to thrive. The second layer is mineral soil and this gives stability to the plant bed. It must not contain too much organic material because then there may be settlements. At the bottom, there is a gravel layer and a drainage pipe to store and collect water. Between the finer grains and the drainage layers, there is a layer of sand that keeps the particles in the right place. (Ref. 1 , 3)
Type of NBS project
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Green parking lots
Green areas for water management
Rain gardens
What is the level of innovation / development of the NBS related to water management?
Vegetation Type
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unknown
Amenities offered by the NBS
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Air quality regulation
Flood regulation
Water purification / filtration
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Governance
Governance arrangements
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The project is a collaboration between municipal administrations; Cycle and water (Kretslopp- och vatten) and Park and nature (Park- och naturförvaltningen), along with Göteborg's city parking company (Göteborgs Stads Parkeringsaktiebolag). (Ref. 1, 2, 4)
Key actors - initiating organization
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
The project was inspired by the City of Göteborg's environmental objectives for natural stormwater treatment. (Ref. 1, 3)
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Mandatory (based on policy)
Intervention is mandatory
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
Natural water treatment is part of the city of Göteborg's environmental objectives and has inspired the project. (1, 3)
Also, ecological measures for rain water treatment are included in the city's manual for rain water treatment. (Ref. 6)
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
Yes
Co-governance arrangement
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Financing
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
“The cost of the entire project is estimated to amount to approximately 260 000 EUR (2.6 million SEK). The actual construction work was funded by the municipal parking company, but the costs for investigation and design were financed by the Cycle and Water Administration (Kretslopp- och vatten). In the case of Kviberg, the cost is estimated to be about 250–300 EUR per square meter to build rain gardens, including materials, drainage and labor costs during construction.” (Ref. 2)
Source(s) of funding
Non-financial contribution
No
Business models
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Please specify technological innovation
“In order to handle the rainwater flowing from the parking area, approximately five percent of the total area has been used for rain gardens, which both clean and delay water.” (Ref. 2)
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
“The city of Göteborg has found inspiration for the so-called rain rebates (rain gardens) as a solution for storm water management from completed projects in other cities, both inside and outside the country's borders, such as Tyresö outside Stockholm and Portland, USA.” (Ref. 2)
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
“Based on the experiences of Kviberg, the city of Göteborg has the ambition to build several similar facilities in other public environments. By spreading the knowledge of rain gardens, the hope is that even private citizens are inspired to build rain gardens on their own property.” (Ref. 2, 1)
Impacts, benefits
Description of environmental benefits
1. The vegetation can survive in short wet periods and long dry periods, keeping the area green throughout the year and helping in stormwater management.
2. The trees also help in improving the air quality of the locality.
3. The flowerbeds not only delay the flow of large amounts of stormwater during heavy rains, but the specially composed plant beds also mean that the soil retains moisture better, which is especially good for the plants during long dry periods.
4. It also provides habitats for small insects, helping in reducing biodiversity loss.
5. The plant bed consists of several layers with different functions purifies 10-20 millimetres of rain per square meter of the hardened surface. (Ref 1, 2)
Please specify other socio-cultural impact
Aesthetic improvements
Description of economic benefits
1. The project directly reduces the cost of stormwater management and protection from floods. 2. It also protects the Säveån, a Natura 2000 area from any potential damage from the runoff. (Ref 1, 2)
Social and cultural impacts
Description of social and cultural benefits
1. The trees and other vegetation have improved the aesthetics of the parking lot. (Ref 1, 2)
Type of reported impacts
Indicators
The amount of water drained and the amount of water flow volume reduction (Ref. 1)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of November, 2020.
Methods of impact monitoring
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
"The project uses a modelling program called StormTac to investigate the pollution rate in the water." (Ref. 2)
A master's thesis also analyses the impact of the project, using MIKE URBAN - Integrated urban water modelling. (Ref. 5)
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Yes
Please specify
"The functions of the rain gardens were evaluated during 2016." (Ref. 3)
References
List of references
Ref. 1. Göteborgs Stad (n.d.) Kvibergs park har en av Sveriges första och största regnrabatter. Regnrabatter. Miljö ock klimat. Retrieved from https://goteborg.se/wps/portal/start/miljo/det-har-kan-du-gora/regnrabatter/!ut/p/z1/hY6xDoIwGISfhrX_X6y0dWOSgMQ4gV0MmFpIgJJSbeLTi6OJxtsu913uQEENamoevWl8b6dmWP1ZJRcW75HmjBaiPHFMS15IjDN6zDhU_wC1xvhDKUIOqm9HEq4jQUK3MZVC8g0TjCdcJu_9dGo3woBy-qadduTu1lud9_OyizDCEAIx1ppBk0VH-K3R2cVD_QHCPNbPg67SFwcSNZ8!/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/#htoc-6 on 14th November, 2020.
Ref. 2. SMHI (2015) Regnrabatter i Göteborg, fördjupning. Klimat, exempel på klimatanpassning. Retrieved from https://www.smhi.se/klimat/klimatanpassa-samhallet/exempel-pa-klimatanpassning/regnrabatter-i-goteborg-fordjupning-1.117301 on 14th November, 2020.
Ref. 3. Göteborgs Stad (2016) Miljön i Göteborg 2016. Hållbar stad - öppen för världen. Retrieved from https://goteborg.se/wps/wcm/connect/ab20454f-1945-4ba2-aca8-8840aad1a2a7/Kortversion+av+milj%C3%B6rapporten+2015+sida+webb.pdf?MOD=AJPERES on 14th November, 2020.
Ref. 4. Föreningen Vatten (2016) Regnrabatter eller biofilter för dagvatten - ett pilotprojekt inom Göteborgs stad. Retrieved from http://content.foreningshuset.se/KundMappar/7590/Inbjudan_regntradgardar_Kviberg.pdf on 14th November, 2020.
Ref. 5. Hellberg, M. (2016) Modeling detention and pollutant fate in bioretention systems. Master's thesis. Chalmers university of technology. Retrieved from http://publications.lib.chalmers.se/records/fulltext/239703/239703.pdf on 14th November, 2020.
Ref. 6. Göteborgs Stad (2010) Dagvatten, så här gör vi! Handbok för kommunal planering och förvaltning. Retrieved from https://goteborg.se/wps/wcm/connect/d52c992f-e263-4e67-9097-0ae1b2069e6e/Dagvattenhandbok%2B2010.pdf?MOD=AJPERES on 14th November, 2020.
Comments and notes
Public Images
Image
Rain gardens in Kviberg
Rain gardens in Kviberg
Photographer: Lina Karlsson (2018), retrieved 07/18/2018

Image
Rain gardens in Kviberg
Rain gardens in Kviberg
Photographer: Lina Karlsson (2018), retrieved 07/18/2018
Image
Rain gardens in Kviberg
Rain gardens in Kviberg
Photographer: Lina Karlsson (2018), retrieved 07/18/2018
Image
Rain garden design
SMHI
https://www.smhi.se/klimat/klimatanpassa-samhallet/exempel-pa-klimatanpassning/regnrabatter-i-goteborg-fordjupning-1.117301