The Railway Park Community Group in Cork, Ireland, banded together in 2017 to improve its local green spaces. According to Echo Live, the group secured funding from the Community Climate Action Programme to upgrade an old Irish Rail storage space.
In October of 2025, the once-useless plot of land became Cork's first learn-to-cycle activity track. The Railway Park Community Group had envisioned a safe place for local children to learn to bike and play.
Near the track is playground equipment. Surrounding the track are rain gardens.
The city community, with the support of funding from the Local Authorities Waters Programme and labor from Cork City Council's parks and recreation team, planted four rain gardens to soak up rainwater runoff.
Cork, Ireland, according to Climates to Travel, receives 48.4 inches of rain per year. The city's geography makes it vulnerable to flooding. In fact, since 1841, the city has experienced 300 significant floods, Reach Out informs.
Recent floods between 2009 and 2020 remarkably damaged infrastructure and private property.
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In preparation for projected future floods from climate-induced extreme weather events, Reach Out says, the Cork City Council and Ireland's Office of Public Works have implemented plans to enhance Cork's flood risk management.
Some of these plans involve flood warning systems, but community-based projects, like the rain garden, can make a difference, as well.
Rain gardens rely on native grasses and perennials to reduce runoff and filter out pollutants. A city-based rain garden, like those in Cork, Ireland, will also attract pollinators to areas they would typically not venture into.
Homeowners can benefit from rain gardens in their own lawns. Wild and native plants in a rain garden require little money on maintenance and water, as they soak up rainwater, which would also protect your home from flood damage.
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Definitely 👍 While city officials and community members in Cork work to better their flood mitigation tactics in preparation for future impacts of a changing climate, they hope each project leads to continued implementation across the city.
"What we learn here will inform future projects and help us build climate resilience across the city," said Sharon McDonnell, of the Cork City Council, per Echo Live. "These demonstrator projects give us an opportunity to trial and monitor new ways of working, like nature-based solutions."
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