Urban water features

SCALES / ,
SYNERGIES / ,
SPATIAL CHALLENGES /
SPECIES / , ,

CASE STUDIES //

Definition

Urban water features are designed aquatic elements (e.g. ponds, fountains, water walls, streams) that provide habitat, drinking, and bathing resources for urban wildlife.

What this strategy does

Creates small but ecologically functional water habitats within built environments; avoids purely ornamental, sterile, or hard-edged water design.

Context

In urban environments with limited natural freshwater, well-designed water features can act as biodiversity nodes and stepping stones between green spaces, provided water quality and habitat structure are actively managed.1

Technical considerations

Design considerations

Habitat complexity

Incorporate varied depths, shallow margins, and vegetated edges to support multiple life stages and taxa.1, 2, 3

Vegetation integration

Use native aquatic and riparian planting to provide shelter, breeding substrate, and food while improving water quality.2, 3, 4

Scale and diversity

Distribute multiple water features or pond types across sites or neighbourhoods to increase overall species richness and resilience.1, 5, 6

Water quality control

Design to limit nutrient loading, contaminants, and untreated runoff to avoid eutrophication and oxygen stress.1, 4

Implementation considerations

Design priority

Prioritise ecological function alongside aesthetic and recreational objectives.

Key constraint

Urban runoff and maintenance regimes can rapidly degrade habitat quality if not addressed at the design stage.1, 2, 4

Issues & barriers

Water quality and pollution

Runoff-borne nutrients, metals, and contaminants can reduce oxygen levels and biodiversity if unmanaged.1, 2, 4, 7

Habitat simplification

Steep banks, hard edges, and vegetation removal reduce habitat suitability and species diversity.1, 2, 3, 7

Invasive species

Disturbed or poorly managed water features are vulnerable to invasive plants and animals that displace native species.1, 2, 3

Governance gaps

Policy and maintenance responsibilities may not adequately support biodiversity-focused water feature design.3, 8

Synergies & opportunities

Climate change – Evaporative cooling and shading reduce urban heat; water features contribute to stormwater retention.9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Human wellbeing – Biodiverse blue–green spaces support mental restoration, recreation, and social interaction.11, 12, 14, 15

Financial case

Flood risk reduction

Stormwater attenuation reduces downstream flood damage and infrastructure costs.8, 13, 16

Climate regulation

Local cooling can reduce building energy demand during heat events.9, 16, 17

Property and amenity value

Proximity to high-quality water features is associated with increased property values and local economic activity.18, 19

Monitoring & evaluation metrics

Core metric

Species richness and community composition (native vs invasive taxa; indicator species).1, 2, 3, 21

Advanced or long-term metric

Water quality parameters (nutrients, dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, contaminants).4, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

Additional resources or tools

Wellington region

Wellington Water Sensitive Urban Design Guide

Urban water and stormwater design guidance.

Auckland

GD04 Water Sensitive Design Guide

Practical guidance for stormwater and biodiversity outcomes.

National

LIUDD Stormwater Guidelines (Kāpiti Coast)

Low-impact urban design and development.

References
  1. Oertli, B., & Parris, K. (2019). Toward management of urban ponds for freshwater biodiversity. Ecosphere. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2810
  2. Hill, M., Biggs, J., Thornhill, I., et al. (2017). Urban ponds as an aquatic biodiversity resource in modified landscapes. Global Change Biology, 23. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13401
  3. Hassall, C. (2014). The ecology and biodiversity of urban ponds. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 1. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1014
  4. Pinel-Alloul, B., Giani, A., Taranu, Z., et al. (2021). Foodweb biodiversity and community structure in urban waterbodies. Hydrobiologia, 849, 3761–3787. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-021-04678-8
  5. Hill, M., Mathers, K., & Wood, P. (2015). Aquatic macroinvertebrate biodiversity of urban ponds. Hydrobiologia, 760, 225–238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2328-8
  6. Suhling, F., & Johansson, F. (2022). Biodiversity in urban blue space. Basic and Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2022.07.004
  7. Vermonden, K., Leuven, R., van der Velde, G., et al. (2009). Urban drainage systems as habitat. Biological Conservation, 142, 1105–1115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.01.026
  8. Pille, L., & Säumel, I. (2021). Water-sensitive cities and biodiversity. Ecology and Society, 26. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12386-260223
  9. Quaranta, E., Dorati, C., & Pistocchi, A. (2021). Water, energy and climate benefits of urban greening. Scientific Reports, 11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88141-7
  10. Oral, H., Carvalho, P., Gajewska, M., et al. (2020). Nature-based solutions for urban water management. Blue-Green Systems. https://doi.org/10.2166/bgs.2020.932
  11. Higgins, S., Thomas, F., Goldsmith, B., et al. (2019). Urban freshwaters, biodiversity and human health. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 6. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1339
  12. Hoyle, H., & Sant’Anna, C. (2020). Climate-adapted urban green infrastructure. Landscape Research, 48, 460–476. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2020.1829573
  13. Krivtsov, V., Forbes, H., Birkinshaw, S., et al. (2022). Ecosystem services of urban ponds. Blue-Green Systems. https://doi.org/10.2166/bgs.2022.021
  14. Fisher, J., Irvine, K., Bicknell, J., et al. (2020). Perceived biodiversity and wellbeing benefits. Science of the Total Environment, 143095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143095
  15. Belaire, J., Higgins, C., Zoll, D., et al. (2022). Fine-scale monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Science of the Total Environment, 157801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157801
  16. Alikhani, S., Nummi, P., & Ojala, A. (2021). Urban wetlands: ecological and cultural values. Water. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223301
  17. Jandaghian, Z., & Colombo, A. (2024). Water bodies and urban heat mitigation. Buildings. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14092945
  18. Collins, R., Schaafsma, M., & Hudson, M. (2017). The value of green walls to urban biodiversity. Land Use Policy, 64, 114–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.02.025
  19. Knapp, S., Schmauck, S., & Zehnsdorf, A. (2019). Biodiversity impacts of constructed wetlands. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205846
  20. Prodanović, V., Bach, P., & Stojković, M. (2024). Planning urban nature-based solutions for biodiversity. Urban Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-024-01558-6
  21. Peeters, E., Wilhelm, M., Gerritsen, A., & Seelen, L. (2023). Ecological characterisation of urban ponds. Frontiers of Biogeography. https://doi.org/10.21425/f5fbg57816
  22. Wang, Y., Ho, I., Chen, Y., et al. (2021). Real-time water quality monitoring for biodiversity. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 9, 14366–14374. https://doi.org/10.1109/JIOT.2021.3078166
  23. Odilov, B., Madraimov, A., Yusupov, O., et al. (2024). Deep learning for aquatic ecosystem monitoring. Natural and Engineering Sciences. https://doi.org/10.28978/nesciences.1491795
  24. Wang, S., Zhang, P., Zhang, D., & Chang, J. (2023). Biotic integrity indices for urban lakes. Journal of Environmental Management, 341, 118026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118026
  25. Calderon, M., Almeida, C., González, P., & Jofré, M. (2019). Amphibian communities and urban water quality. Urban Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-019-00862-w
  26. Chen, B., Mu, X., Chen, P., et al. (2021). UAV-based water quality estimation. Ecological Indicators. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108434