Spain, like other countries, is having to adapt to more extreme weather. And, in the Valencia region, EU-funded innovation has spawned a new solution, right under people’s feet.
The concept of footpath paving has been redesigned using ceramic tiles, placed and spaced on their sides, to maximise absorption of water into the ground.
Experts say it wouldn’t prevent the type of disaster seen last year, with the overflow of a river system, but would improve drainage capacity and reduce flooding risks when heavy rain hits urban areas.
When I see these technologies, I just think about how they would probably be uneconomic in cold environments on account of frost wedging. They would crumble much faster than regular cement and pavement, I’d suppose
Good point about frost heaving - these systems can actually be modified for cold climates with deeper drainage layers and frost-resistant ceramics, but it definetly increases the installation cost compared to traditional pavements.
