In Paso Robles, California, stormwater gets to peacefully run off between roads without ever flooding them. How, you ask? Well, per a picture that one Redditor posted online, the city appears to have built a dedicated corridor right in the middle of two arteries.
If the primary goal is likely to contain the flow of stormwater, Paso Robles has taken advantage of this infrastructure to add plants — and not just any plants.
"Looks like they even used a native grass, Muhlenbergia Rigens! Possibly more," one Reddit user said.
The original poster shared only one photo, so it might be difficult to determine which exact plants have been selected, but the city has certainly understood the benefits of opting for those that are well-suited to the local soils and climate conditions. This means less water, less maintenance, and less money spent on both.
And that's not all. Unlike the lush green carpet that many Americans still have in their own garden, native plants are known to provide food and shelter to insect pollinators, which, in return, protect our food supply.
Certain U.S. states are doubling down on efforts to offer incentives for their residents to rewild their yard, starting with Utah, which offers up to $3 per square foot of unused turf. Other options to replace a biodiversity-unfriendly lawn, even partially, include clover, buffalo grass, and xeriscaping.
While some of the members of an infrastructure subreddit group underlined the risk that the system will collapse in the event of heavy rainfall, others were delighted to see "some life [added] to the usual urban look."
"Infrastructure that accommodates/integrates the natural landscape into the design have big appeal," one wrote.
"These are my new favorite things. We have them in Seattle, too, and they're awesome and should be everywhere," another commented as they shared an online street view of a similar corridor. This one, full of plants, is separating the road from the sidewalk and incorporates small bridges for walkers.
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