“Implementing the Regional Green Infrastructure Plan will be a monumental undertaking over the coming decades, but the beauty of green infrastructure is that it complements what already exists, builds from the success of our existing infrastructure, naturalizes and beautifies our urban fabric, and can be built in our front and backyards alike,” concluded Kevin Shaffer.
“While most people prefer to make land-use decisions that restore the environment, land planners and decision makers may still overlook key natural resources. Just as we plan for our gray infrastructure – roads, bridges, power lines, pipelines, sewer systems – so should we plan to conserve natural resources as our green infrastructure”, said Karen Firehock.
“Living Water Smart provides a framework and sets a direction. The purpose in convening for action is to establish consistent expectations on-the-ground: This is what we want to achieve, and this is how we will get there. Our immediate objective in convening for action is to encourage ‘green choices’ that will ripple through time,” stated Kim Stephens. “We are NOT saying that every community must follow the same formula; what we are saying is that everyone needs to agree on expectations and how all the players will work together, and after that each community can reach its goals in its own way.”
“Rain gardens are being embraced worldwide because they do their job so well. The worry is that these same, very efficient rain gardens that are cropping up in our parking strips and front yards are doing their job so well that they could become residential toxic sites. But in fact are they? Not according to the research that’s available,” writes Lisa Stiffler.
“We’re in a critical moment—natural ecosystems continue to degrade, existing gray infrastructure continues to age, and costs continue to rise. Even if just a portion of upcoming water infrastructure investment is directed toward green infrastructure, the opportunities for cost savings and water-related benefits are immense,” writes Todd Gartner.
“Information on how well green infrastructure facilities perform is critical to quantify their benefits, lower maintenance costs, ensure public safety, and improve overall design and function. n particular, information was desired on how well the facilities could reduce peak flows and total flow volume, which have implications for watershed health and regulatory compliance in the combined sewer system,” stated Tim Kurtz.
NYC Green Infrastructure Plan – cover (360p) – October 2010
Green infrastructure is the wave of the future. That’s how any city that’s interested in sustaining itself and its public health over time has to view its urban planning.
Robert Hicks (120p) – Metro Vancouver
The genesis for ISMPs was a desire to integrate the community, engineering, planning and environmental perspectives. Local governments knew they had to do business differently to protect or restore watershed health.
Patrick Lucey (120p)
The centuries-old approach of piping water off the land as fast as possible and dumping it into waterways is failing fast. Shifting to sustainability by design is a fundamentally new approach.
Paul Crabtree (120p) – Rainwater in Context Initiative
The one-size-fits all sites approach often ignores the watershed scale, and can have unintended negative consequences in regards to infill, redevelopment, and compact urbanism in general.
