Urbanisation and climate change prompt rethinking of urban design, including new methods forstormwater management. Additionally, an increasing recognition of the benefits gained from urban naturetriggers a demand for methods to improve urban nature qualities. Sustainable urban drainage systems(SUDS) are increasingly used in cities as they adapt to climate change and can be designed to targetdesired habitat types of species groups.This PhD thesis explores the potential of developing SUDS with enhanced ecological qualities (bio-SUDS).In the first part of the thesis, a multidisciplinary workshop involving ecologists, landscape architects andurban planners was conducted to explore potentials for increasing habitat heterogeneity in SUDS. This firstexplorative approach was followed by an applied science approach in which a full-scale bio-SUDS wasdesigned and implemented, and its impact on ecological qualities in terms of plant species communitycomposition and abundance of floral resources was assessed.The first study showed that there is considerable scope for improvement in structural habitatheterogeneity in SUDS. The development of a full-scale bio-SUDS revealed that design principles derivedfrom ecological engineering provide useful inputs to enhance ecological quality in SUDS designs. However,ecological targets were compromised when trade-offs had to be found between ecological, stormwater andrecreational targets. Implementation of a full-scale bio-SUDS increased plant species diversity andabundance of floral resources within a relatively short period of time, and developed nature indices proveduseful as tools for standardised and objective assessment of structural habitat heterogeneity and floralresources.The PhD thesis contributes to bridge the gap between ecological research and urban design aiming toenhance urban nature, and it illustrates a new possible level for urban stormwater management and urbannature practice. The thesis confirmed the presence of a largely unexploited potential for enhancing naturequalities in SUDS and led to the main conclusion that implementation of bio-SUDS can be used as a lever topromote urban ecological qualities.