Stormwater Magazine publishes "Green Infrastructure and Community Design Series"

Rainwater in a Larger Community Context

“ln 2010, several presentations at the StormCon Conference and Exposition dealt with stormwater management in a larger community  context. Several of the speakers expressed interest in writing articles on the topic for Stormwater magazine. This initiated the idea that became our Green Infrastructure & Community Design Series. Colorado-based engineer Paul Crabtree coordinated the effort,” recalls Janice Kasperson, Editor.

Rainwater-in-Context Initiative

Paul Crabtree is a driving force behind the Rainwater-in-Context Initiative. Formed in 2010, the Initiative is a sub-committee of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). In the United States, the CNU is the leading organization promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.

According to Paul Crabtree, the Initiative has a record of substantial accomplishments since its formation in 2010. The Initiative has worked with state, local, and federal EPA officials to improve existing and proposed regulations. Initiative members have presented at professional conferences and engaged in public debates with leading practitioners.

Articles in the Series

“The series seeks to shed light on the project of building community and the relationship between that task and rainwater/stormwater management. The first article in the series (by Martin Dreiling) offered a general framework for the issues we find relevant to that task,” states Janice Kasperson. The complete list follows:

1. Principles of Smart Growth and their Corresponding Rainwater Dos and Donts– by Paul Crabtree in March-April 2010
2. Taking a Stance on Sprawl– by Martin Dreiling in Nov/Dec 2010
3. EPA Stormwater Rules Should Acknowledge Benefits of Urbanism– by John Norquist in January/February 2011
4. Watersheds, Walkability, and Stormwater: The Role of Density– by John S. Jacob in January/February 2011
5. Choosing a Green Infrastructure Framework? Consider Light Imprint– by Thomas Low, Guy Pearlman, Monica Carney Holmes, Nora Black, and Paul Crabtree in March/April 2011
6. A Perfect Storm for a Regional Watershed Management Plan: An Alternative to site-based LID– by Paul Crabtree with Joe Deluca and Tracy Vandaveer in May 2011
7. Aligning Stormwater Goals and Community Goals– by Lynn Richards in September 2011
8. Ahead of the Learning Curve: Building skill sets for sustainable economic and environmental practice– by Lisa Nisenson in September 2011
9. Rainwater Management in a Watershed Context – What’s the goal? by Kim Stephens and Jim Dumont in November-December 2011

The latest article in the series, by Canadians Kim Stephens and Jim Dumont is a thoughtful review of the divergent goals of rainwater management in the US and Canada written from a British Columbia perspective. “This is a bountiful article with a number of provocative statements,” comments Laurence Aurbach, a founding member of the Rainwater-in-Context Initiative. He is an independent editor and researcher specializing in urban planning and design, new urbanism, and smart growth topics.