Depaving, also known as desealing, is the act of removing impermeable surfaces such as

parking lot A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

s and replacing with a permeable surface, especially green space. Depaving can help manage stormwater runoff, ensuring that runoff is less polluted. The Depave Portland group in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, United States says that it has depaved more than 70 parking lots and removed of paving since it was founded in 2008. Some cities, including Portland, charge impervious pavement fees to cover the cost of dealing with runoff, which incentivizes depaving.

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Netherlands depaved parts of its area. The city of

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

, Belgium is planning depaving as part of its Leuven2050 plan to become

carbon-neutral Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the "p ...

and combat the urban heat island effect. Other motivations for depaving include providing habitat for wildlife, combating climate change or increasing quality of life by replacing underutilized paved areas with green space. A 2020 study found that depaving had high effectiveness for increasing groundwater replenishment. According to a 2016 study by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, depaving is common on rural roads as a cost-saving measure due to the high cost of maintaining paved surfaces.

References

{{reflist Pavement engineering Stormwater management