Daily insights for city builders, delivered every morning at 6 AM ET. I’m Brandon Donnelly — a Toronto-based real estate developer and founder of Globizen. I’ve been writing here since 2013.

We should use more permeable pavers

Today we rented a car so that we could go and explore other parts of Mallorca. We went to three different beaches and coves on the southeast coast, and they were some of the most beautiful public spaces I have ever seen.

Along the way, we stopped at an Aldi to grab picnic supplies. I love Aldi. It’s amazing how much less expensive everything is here compared to back in Toronto, even once you do the EUR to CAD conversion.

As soon as we pulled in, the first thing I noticed is that every single parking space had permeable pavers. Here are two photos. The second photo is to also show you their EV charging spaces and one of the two cats that seems to live at the store.

Permeable pavers are, of course, useful because they help to reduce surface runoff. Meaning, they allow some amount of water to filter into the ground, which is not the case with impermeable surfaces.

Considering that Toronto has already had two major flood events this summer alone, I think it behooves us to take note. When is the last time you’ve seen permeable pavers used in a public parking lot in Canada or the US? Serious question. I can’t think of an example.

Having a store cat could also be a good idea.

3 responses to “We should use more permeable pavers”

  1. Jon Cummings Avatar
    Jon Cummings

    Green P parking lot next to Beech United Church, in the Beeches just north of Queen St E, has permeable pavers.

    1. Brandon Graham Donnelly Avatar

      Amazing. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Dragi Dodevski Avatar
    Dragi Dodevski

    that’s exactly what I always wonder! More permeable paving instead of asphalt. But then, even when so, after a repair instead of the pavers going back, utility crews just put asphalt back – most recent example in front of the Well. 😖

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