“Temple University is becoming the focal point for stormwater management in the Philadelphia region," says Jeffrey Featherstone

 

Temple to Evaluate Urban Rainwater-Management Controls

Temple’s Main Campus will become a living laboratory for the study and evaluation of rainwater management controls and practices in urban environments, thanks to a four-year, $US1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Jeff_Featherstone_TempleU_120pJeffrey Featherstone, director of the Center for Sustainable Communities at Temple, is principal investigator for the multidisciplinary grant. Featherstone said the project—involving researchers from civil and environmental engineering, and horticulture and landscape architecture—will focus on the environmental, economic and social impacts of implementing green infrastructure to deal with rainwater-runoff issues in urban environments.

“Since there has been a lot of construction on Main Campus, we have the luxury of having about a dozen new stormwater-control measures scheduled, under construction or already in place, the effectiveness of which can be studied and evaluated,” he said.

Featherstone said another part of project would explore the impact of green infrastructure on raising the city’s property values.

“We will examine real-estate assessments of properties near green infrastructure and compare them to assessments for similar properties elsewhere,” Featherstone explained. “If green infrastructure can increase property values, it can assist in raising the city’s tax base and be a catalyst for the revitalization of the city.”

Featherstone said the EPA wants to ensure that such practices work in tough urban environments. “If they are going to endorse these types of measures and controls, they want to be sure the science is there to support them.”

“Temple is becoming the focal point for stormwater management in the Philadelphia region,” Featherstone noted.

To Learn More:

Additional details are contained in the news release posted by Temple University. To download a copy, click on Temple to evaluate urban stormwater-management controls.

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