EDITORIAL: Is Stormwater Management the Key to Greener, More Resilient and Healthier Communities? – “Taxpayers can get far more bang for their public buck by investing in widespread green infrastructure implementation than huge holding tanks to capture stormwater,” says Steven Peck
Note to Reader:
Green stormwater infrastructure includes a range of soil-water-plant systems that intercept stormwater, infiltrate a portion of it into the ground, evaporate a portion of it into the air, and in some cases release a portion of it slowly back into the sewer system.
Integrating green stormwater infrastructure into a highly developed area requires a decentralized and creative approach to planning and design (photo credit: Philadelphia Water Department)
Imagine…
“Imagine a city virtually devoid of plants – just steel, glass, asphalt and concrete. Would you want to live there? Probably not! Now imagine a city where plants are everywhere – on the ground, on the walls, and atop our buildings. Would you want to live there? The odds are that not only you would, but you’d be willing to pay more to live in such a community,” wrote Steven Peck in his opening paragraph.
About Steven Peck
Steven W. Peck, GRP, Honorary ASLA, is the founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), the North American green roof and wall industry association.
Since 1996, he has worked to advance the green roof and wall industry by facilitating research and demonstration projects; organizing conferences and workshops; writing articles; judging award competitions; building institutional capacity; lecturing; publishing; and advocating for supportive policies and standards at all levels of government.
In 1999 he began editing and publishing a quarterly green roof and wall magazine entitled The Living Architecture Monitor. Mr. Peck has written and lectured extensively on the interrelationship between public policy, research and the socioeconomic benefits of living architecture, as well as on the topics of urban sustainability and industrial ecology.
To Learn More:
To read the complete editorial by Steven Peck, download Is Stormwater Management the Key to Greener, More Resilient and Healthier Communities?
Rows of garlic being grown on a roof at Ryerson University (photo credit: Toronto Star)