Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Urban Water Systems
NRDC Advocates Implementing Sustainable Practices on Key Urban Issues in USA
“Green infrastructure techniques such as green roofs, roadside plantings, rain gardens, and rainwater harvesting not only improve water quality; they also transform rainwater from a source of pollution into a valuable community resource,” writes Kaid Benfield in the conclusion of a series of posts introducing the agenda of the Natural Resoureces Defense Council (NRDC) for sustainable communities. To learn more, click on the links below:
- Part 1: Seeing cities as the environmental solution, not the problem (August 9, 2011)
- Part 2: Urban revitalization is green. Let’s make it greener, greater, and more inclusive. (August 10, 2011)
- Part 3: The importance of regional planning that matters (August 12, 2011)
- Part 4: Implementing sustainable practices on key urban issues (August 15, 2011)
In Philadelphia, for example, the NRDC has been helping the city develop and implement a first-of-its-kind, 20-year plan for more than $US1 billion of green infrastructure investments.
About the Author: Kaid Benfield is the NRDC’s Director of Sustainable Communities. He is also co-founder, LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system; and co-founder, Smart Growth America coalition. He was voted one of the “top urban thinkers” in poll on Planetizen.com and named one of “the most influential people in sustainable planning and development” by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.
The NRDC was founded in 1970 by a group of law students and attorneys at the forefront of the environmental movement.