Our Research
Water sensitive urban design (WSUD)
Water sensitive urban design (WSUD) emphasises a holistic approach to water management with the aim of achieving multiple objectives, including:
- Protection of natural aquatic ecosystems
- Integration of stormwater treatment into the landscape
- Protection of water quality
- Reduction of run-off and peak flows
Designers, civil engineers and urban forest managers alike are considering the advantages of applying onsite stormwater retention measures to defer capital expenditure on upgrades of existing drainage infrastructure and to optimise the benefits of trees in our towns and cities.

The TREENET Inlet (by Space Down Under), is an example of a WSUD device; it was designed to direct stormwater from roads into what is often the driest zone in the urban environment, the ‘nature strip’.
By providing water via soakage devices in the nature strip, TREENET Inlets may guide root growth to these zones and so reduce root damage to kerbs and footpaths, possibly resulting in financial savings on infrastructure maintenance and renewal.
Check out the following resources which have been extracted from TREENET’s significant collection of academic papers and case studies:
Trees and permeable paving: future symbionts
Tim Johnson City Of Mitcham & University Of South Australia Introduction In 2009 the City of Mitcham retrofitted twelve permeable pavement sections and tree planting
Trees as essential infrastructure: Engineering and design considerations
Simon Beecham School of Natural and Built Environments and Centre for Water Management and Reuse University of South Australia [email protected] Abstract One of the guiding
Permeable Pavements and their Influence on Tree Growth of Melaleuca quinquenervia – A Summary
Population centres are changing from rural to urbanised areas, with increasing development to create supportive infrastructure…