Long Bay Residential streets

The outcome of the design in terms of ecosystem services is a ‘treatment train’ where a series of rain gardens and swales are implemented to treat street runoff before flowing to larger-scale treatment environments. All the garden streets in the development include a series of rain gardens and swales which increase pervious areas and help to absorb heavier amounts of rainfall by increasing the green space. This enables adaptation to climate change with the ability of the streets to act as absorption devices as rainfall events intensify. The bioswales also mitigate the changes in climate through the ability to sequester carbon and absorb water. 

Not only does this case study have environmental benefits, there is also the added aesthetic value to the development which local people benefit from (Coutts, C & Hahn, Micah, 2015).

Planting through the swales has been thought out to provide habitat where practical. The swales create habitat for species like native birds, lizards, and fish. This includes the restoration of inanga spawning habitat near the lower catchment. The protection of native species in the area has connections to Indigenous knowledge as some species in the area are important mahinga kai (food) resources for Māori (NIWA).