Depave.org: Giving Unnecessary Paved Spaces Back to Nature

It’s no secret that paved surfaces aren’t great for the earth. They increase pollution runoff, reflect sunlight and increasingly take over the beauty of the natural world. And yet, more and more of the world is paved with every day that passes. Imagine if instead, we had livable cities where people and wildlife coexist and thrive amidst clean air, clean water and an abundance of plants, trees and vegetation. That’s what Depave.org is hoping for, and they’re helping to remove unnecessary concrete and asphalt from the earth, one property at a time.

Depave.org, a project of Portland, Oregon nonprofit City Repair, provides instructions and inspiration for getting rid of unnecessary paved surfaces.  Their goal is to:

• Provide information, inspiration, and technical assistance to those wishing to remove concrete and asphalt
• Educate the public about the benefits of pavement removal
• Advocate to minimize and/or reduce the amount of impervious pavement in public construction and repair projects.
• Promote responsible and creative reuse and recycling of concrete and asphalt
• Provide an opportunity for greater connection with the natural world

The Depave.org website provides some great examples of what can be done with formerly lifeless slabs of concrete. Big pieces of useless land are transformed into gardens and enjoyable green spaces.

Of course, there’s the question of what should be done with all that broken up concrete and asphalt, called ‘urbanite’. Depave.org has an answer to that to, and some of the examples are stunning. Old concrete driveways are turned into retaining walls for raised garden beds and fire pits.

Check it out – perhaps you’ll get some inspiration to transform your own paved space into something beautiful and natural!

Link [Depave.org]