[lenciaav] Rain on brickwork pavement

One of the problems of the urban asphalt jungle is the lack of drainage after a rainstorm.  All the water gets funneled via sewers to rivers, which flood with the sudden influx.  Before paving, rain would settle on dirt; some water trickles into groundwater, some evaporates, some gets consumed by plants, some slowly makes its way to rivers.

Consider brick paving.  Can the mortar between bricks be water-permeable so water can drain all the way down into the ground?  And then evaporate later?  I would be surprised if this can be made to work.