Stormwater from trafficked areas often contains high pollution levels. In traditional stormwater management design, stormwater is first transported away through piped networks, and then in most cases passes through oil separators before finally reaching the recipients. While this traditional method removes certain pollutants from the stormwater, it does not reduce the total flow, as in the case of ecological stormwater management. In the ecological method the stormwater is not simply transported away, but is recirculated through infiltration, percolation, and detention. The aim of this study is to investigate possible advantages of ecological management designs, in contrast to traditional management. The study also incorporates legal aspects of the stormwater issue, in particular how the Swedish national environmental quality goals Poison-free Environment and Adequate Habitational Environment can be successfully linked to stormwater management. A parking area located next to a shopping centre is used as an example in order to offer practical solutions for designing an ecological stormwater management system. This involves using adjacent green spaces for infiltration and to construct wet ponds to maintain flood control and separation of pollution; furthermore it is argued that ecological management can contribute to enhance the aesthetics of an area.