The reduction of sealed surfaces and the promotion of near-natural infiltration of rainwater in urban areas are important steps in the fight against climate change and for the preservation of biodiversity and the environment. The increasing sealing of soils due to urban expansion and the development of infrastructure is disrupting the natural water cycle. Rainwater cannot infiltrate sufficiently on fully or partially sealed soils and instead runs off as surface water.

To determine the potential for unsealing and thus promoting natural rainwater infiltration in urban areas, the Institute of Geotechnics (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Zachert), the Department of Hydraulic Engineering and Hydraulics (Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Lehmann) and the Departments of Land Management and Spatial and Infrastructure Planning (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Linke) are carrying out a feasibility study together with the City of Mannheim.

The aim of the contract research is to determine the land potential and to select suitable measures for future urban development towards more land unsealing. The result should be a decision-making aid as a guideline for urban processes, which brings transparency to decision-making processes and reveals the necessary data bases and action steps.

Among other things, site inspections have been carried out in recent weeks to determine the basics in order to develop comprehensive and customised measure concepts for selected areas in the city of Mannheim.

Project duration: July 2023 – February 2024

Contact: entrema@geod.tu-darmstadt.de

If you have any further questions about the EntReMa project, please do not hesitate to contact us.