Stormwater management in landscape architecture and assessment of rain gardens

In this study, the concept of Stormwater Management and its systems were examined and the concepts, approaches and practices used worldwide in relation to the concept of Stormwater Management were identified, the origin of these approaches on a country basis, their overlapping and diverging characteristics and important examples from various parts of the world were examined. In the application phase, rain garden modules consisting of various component compositions that make up rain gardens were established, and the effects of groups containing these different components on pollutant removal, drainage/infiltration and plant growth performances, which are the main functions of rain gardens, were investigated. For the study, eighteen rain garden modules were established on the open area next to the research greenhouse in Düzce University campus in Düzce province, in six groups of three replications each. In the rain garden modules, soil mix layers of 30 cm and 50 cm depth and additional layers of 15 cm hazelnut shell and 15 cm charcoal were used as different components. Application studies, measurements and analyzes were carried out on these rain gardens. Group 5 and 6 with 15 cm charcoal as an additional layer emerged as best overall performing groups on combined efficiency analysis which includes all main functions of rain gardens, and group 1 with no additional layer and 30 cm soil mix came as the worst performing group. With this thesis, the concepts, approaches and practices related to stormwater management were identified and examined, the effects of various component compositions of rain gardens on pollutant removal, drainage/infiltration and plant growth performances, which are the main functions of rain gardens, were determined, information that can help new rain gardens to be built on a national and international scale was obtained and new perspectives and findings that will contribute to the studies in the field were obtained.