Valuing the Benefits of Green Stormwater Infrastructure

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy W. Ando ◽  
Noelwah R. Netusil
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Rain Gardens ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Green Stormwater Infrastructure

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), a decentralized approach for managing stormwater that uses natural systems or engineered systems mimicking the natural environment, is being adopted by cities around the world to manage stormwater runoff. The primary benefits of such systems include reduced flooding and improved water quality. GSI projects, such as green roofs, urban tree planting, rain gardens and bioswales, rain barrels, and green streets may also generate cobenefits such as aesthetic improvement, reduced net CO2 emissions, reduced air pollution, and habitat improvement. GSI adoption has been fueled by the promise of environmental benefits along with evidence that GSI is a cost-effective stormwater management strategy, and methods have been developed by economists to quantify those benefits to support GSI planning and policy efforts. A body of multidisciplinary research has quantified significant net benefits from GSI, with particularly robust evidence regarding green roofs, urban trees, and green streets. While many GSI projects generate positive benefits through ecosystem service provision, those benefits can vary with details of the location and the type and scale of GSI installation. Previous work reveals several pitfalls in estimating the benefits of GSI that scientists should avoid, such as double counting values, counting transfer payments as benefits, and using values for benefits like avoided carbon emissions that are biased. Important gaps remain in current knowledge regarding the benefits of GSI, including benefit estimates for some types of GSI elements and outcomes, understanding how GSI benefits last over time, and the distribution of GSI benefits among different groups in urban areas.

scholarly journals Prioritizing Suitable Locations for Green Stormwater Infrastructure Based on Social Factors in Philadelphia

Land ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Christman ◽  
Mahbubur Meenar ◽  
Lynn Mandarano ◽  
Kyle Hearing
Keyword(s):  
Green Roofs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Rain Gardens ◽  
Social Variables ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Disadvantaged Communities ◽  
Block Level ◽  
Suitable Site ◽  
Green Stormwater Infrastructure

Municipalities across the United States are prioritizing green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) projects due to their potential to concurrently optimize the social, economic, and environmental benefits of the “triple bottom line”. While placement of these features is often based on biophysical variables regarding the natural and built environments, highly urbanized areas often exhibit either limited data or minimal variability in these characteristics. Using a case study of Philadelphia and building on previous work to prioritize GSI features in disadvantaged communities, this study addresses the dual concerns of the inequitable benefits of distribution and suitable site placement of GSI using a model to evaluate and integrate social variables to support decision making regarding GSI implementation. Results of this study indicate locations both suitable and optimal for the implementation of four types of GSI features: tree trenches, pervious pavement, rain gardens, and green roofs. Considerations of block-level site placement assets and liabilities are discussed, with recommendations for use of this analysis for future GSI programs.

scholarly journals It Is Not Easy Being Green: Recognizing Unintended Consequences of Green Stormwater Infrastructure

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinicius Taguchi ◽  
Peter Weiss ◽  
John Gulliver ◽  
Mira Klein ◽  
Raymond Hozalski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Rain Gardens ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Effective Cost ◽  
Full Knowledge ◽  
Green Stormwater Infrastructure ◽  
Cost Efficient

Green infrastructure designed to address urban drainage and water quality issues is often deployed without full knowledge of potential unintended social, ecological, and human health consequences. Though understood in their respective fields of study, these diverse impacts are seldom discussed together in a format understood by a broader audience. This paper takes a first step in addressing that gap by exploring tradeoffs associated with green infrastructure practices that manage urban stormwater including urban trees, stormwater ponds, filtration, infiltration, rain gardens, and green roofs. Each green infrastructure practice type performs best under specific conditions and when targeting specific goals, but regular inspections, maintenance, and monitoring are necessary for any green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) practice to succeed. We review how each of the above practices is intended to function and how they could malfunction in order to improve how green stormwater infrastructure is designed, constructed, monitored, and maintained. Our proposed decision-making framework, using both biophysical (biological and physical) science and social science, could lead to GSI projects that are effective, cost efficient, and just.

scholarly journals Blue-green infrastructure as a new trend and an effective tool for water management in urban areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Ewelina Pochodyła ◽  
Katarzyna Glińska-Lewczuk ◽  
Agnieszka Jaszczak
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Rain Gardens ◽  
Natural Structure ◽  
Technical Structure ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Water Management Plans ◽  
Vertical Greening

Blue-green infrastructures (BGI) integrate solutions implemented to enhance water management and landscape values for more climateresilient and livable cities. BGI have created an opportunity to renew the natural structure of water balance in cities through the increase in rainwater retention and enlargement of permeable areas. The review of the literature on BGI development and solutions showed that the most popular BGI elements in terms of urban water quantity and quality were rain gardens, green roofs, vertical greening systems, and permeable pavements. Their structure and effectiveness were presented and reviewed. Despite the consensus between researchers that BGI benefit urban hydrology, differences in runoff decreased (2%-100%) lowering the peak flows (7%-70%) and infiltration (to 60%) or evapotranspiration (19%-84%) were reported. Due to an individual technical structure, each BGI element plays a specific role and there is no universal BGI solution against water-related problems. We inferred that the most effective ones were individually adapted solutions, which prevent from a stressor. The greater variety of solutions in a given area, the more benefits for the urban environment. Our analyses showed that a holistic and co-creative approach to create blue-green networks should be considered in modern water management plans.

scholarly journals Local Scale Prioritisation of Green Infrastructure for Enhancing Biodiversity in Peri-Urban Agroecosystems: A Multi-Step Process Applied in the Metropolitan City of Rome (Italy)

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Capotorti ◽  
Vera De Lazzari ◽  
Marta Alós Ortí
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Riparian Ecosystems ◽  
Metropolitan City ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Complex Solutions

Urban–rural interfaces represent complex systems that require complex solutions for sustainable development and resilience against pollution, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss and impaired flux of ecosystem services (ES). Green infrastructure (GI) is increasingly recognised as an effective tool for addressing such a complexity, but needs priority setting to maximise benefits and minimise drawbacks of implementation. Therefore, a prioritisation approach focused on biodiversity and ES in peri-urban areas is required. In the present work, a systematic and hierarchical framework is proposed for setting priority GI objectives, location and actions aimed at enhancing local biodiversity, ES flux and farming sustainability in urban peripheries. By means of a case study in the Metropolitan City of Rome, the framework allowed identification of the main demand for ES and biodiversity; the most suitable location for GI implementation; and the best cost-effective actions. The GI implementation showed an improvement in terms of wooded hedgerow density, an increase regarding the ecological connectivity of riparian ecosystems, and an increment of agroecosystems designated to enhance the ecological network and wildlife support. Finally, the prioritisation framework contributes to fostering environmental benefits while complying with regulations and management practices from the regional to the farm/field decision level.

scholarly journals Hydrogeological Criteria to Improve the Sponge City Strategy of China

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengxiao Jin ◽  
Michele Lancia ◽  
Yong Tian ◽  
Stefano Viaroli ◽  
Charles Andrews ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Waste Water Treatment ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Rain Gardens ◽  
Hydraulic Characteristics ◽  
Sponge City ◽  
Water Treatment Plants ◽  
Direct Infiltration ◽  
The Government

China is facing frequent waterlogging and an increasing water scarcity that mirrors the fast urban and economic expansion of the last 4 decades. To mitigate these issues, the government promulgated the “Sponge City” strategy; a concept rooted in practices in western countries aimed at collecting and reusing 65–90% of urban rainfall. The application consists of absorbent infrastructures such as green roofs and rain gardens combined with the pre-existing urban environment. However, due to climate heterogeneities and the different urbanization contexts in China, these goals may seem overly ambitious in many areas of the country. Compact urbanization, together with heavy rainfall concentrated in short events, puts dramatic stresses on these infrastructures. At the same time, overdesigned infrastructures are expensive and may not be practical to retrofit in existing urban areas. In this paper, the role of urban aquifers as natural Sponge City elements are investigated throughout China. The method of implementation is inexpensive and easy to apply, favoring the direct infiltration to the subsoil after the conversion of the urban surfaces from impervious to permeable. Infiltration to urban aquifers alleviates the pressure on sewers, urban streams, as well as waste-water treatment plants. Considering urban aquifers with different hydraulic characteristics, water table dynamics after large infiltration events from rainfall are simulated via numerical analysis. Hydrogeological and geomorphological analyses are carried out to individuate criteria for the mapping of high absorbance areas at the regional and local scales. A Sponge City approach involving the urban aquifers can represent a winning formula for the success of this ambitious but compelling plan.

Public Perceptions of the Value of Urban Trees in the River Rouge Watershed

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREA OLIVE ◽  
LARA RUSCH ◽  
ANGELA AYERS
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Urban Forestry ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Personal Benefit

ABSTRACT This study examines attitudes toward urban green space among homeowners in the River Rouge Watershed of southeast Michigan. Trees play a significant role in urban areas by providing numerous environmental, economic and social benefits to community residents. But public attitudes toward trees are not well understood. Through survey research we found that residents are most likely to value trees for personal benefit (like shade) but that social reasons are also valuable (improving the neighborhood). We also illustrate that cost is not an impeding factor in willingness to plant trees. Finally, our study reveals that homeowners felt tree planting is both an individual responsibility as well as a government responsibility. On the basis of these findings, we recommend that urban forestry policy should focus on education and outreach in an attempt to marry tree-planting initiatives to the individual benefits of trees as well as the community benefits of urban green space.

scholarly journals Relationship of trees as green infrastructure to pro-environmental behavior for psychological restoration in urbanized society: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 918 (1) ◽  
pp. 012047
Author(s):  
N Othman ◽  
H Hamzah ◽  
M Z Mohd Salleh
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Environmental Behavior ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Respective Field ◽  
Meta Analyses

Abstract The need for green infrastructure has increased with the awareness towards a sustainable environment. Trees are considered one of the “green infrastructure” elements due to the “green” benefits they have provided to the urban environment. Greener environments are associated with mental health, and to the urban inhabitants, trees bring a multitude of environmental benefits. Even though there are various opinions on pro-environmental behavior (PEB), there are similar understandings of protecting and preserving the environment. Psychological Restoration (PR) is a cognitive progression in replenishing a good emotion via a connection with the natural environment and urban park. This paper reviews the literature published between 2005-2021 on SCOPUS and describes the current knowledge regarding PEB and PR connected to urban trees. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses known as PRISMA were employed, which deals with identification, evaluation, exclusion, and inclusion of data. Some studies have focused on how the natural environment can affect human health and well-being. Other studies have looked into the built environment and considered urban trees as a positive solution to stress alleviation and social cohesion. Hence, the reviews will provide a proposition for future research in the respective field to yield relevant results to the societies.

INVESTIGATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF GREEN ROOF INSTALLATION

2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Mahdiyar ◽  
Arham Abdullah ◽  
Sanaz Tabatabaee ◽  
Leily Mahdiyar ◽  
Saeed Reza Mohandes
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Adverse Impacts ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Rural Places

Green roof installation has been used as a sustainable approach for many years in order to reduce the adverse impacts of environmental issues all around the world. These environmental issues include: global warming, air pollution, flood, carbon footprint and so on. Green roofs are practical as a sustainable approach, especially in developed countries; however, there is an increasing trend of implementing green roofs in developing countries. This paper is reviewing the benefits of green roof installation and how green roof might contribute to reduce the negative environmental issues. The environmental problems that can be solved or reduced by these benefits are discussed separately in this paper. It is concluded that due to the environmental benefits of green roof installation, it leads to many economic benefits. Moreover, green roof implementation is beneficial in both urban areas and rural places.

scholarly journals City Greening by Rain Gardens - Costs and Benefits

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewelina Siwiec ◽  
Anne Maren Erlandsen ◽  
Haakon Vennemo
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Rain Gardens ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Strategic Direction ◽  
The Cost

Abstract In urban areas, the most pressing adaptation challenges are associated with the problem of poor retention of rainstorm water. Hence, recommended actions focus on improving rainwater retention in the landscape. One of the strategic direction of adaptation to climate change is including green infrastructure solutions like green roofs, green walls, water reservoirs along streets - supplying high vegetation, permeable ground cover and rain gardens. Due to a variety of proposals, the costs and benefits resulting from the implementation of a chosen solution should be regarded when selecting an appropriate action. Considering the above, the article attempts to show the costs and benefits of one of the solutions - a green garden. When analysing the cost of green garden implementation, account should be taken of the cost of investment and upholding, as well as the alternative cost of land use. Then again, the benefits of the rain garden comprise the losses avoided by limiting the effects of rainstorm as well as improving the quality and quantity of water in the urban landscape. The cost and benefit monetization makes it possible to decide on the financial viability of implementing rain gardens in the city.

Soil Compaction as a Constraint to Tree Growth in Tropical & Subtropical Urban Habitats

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Yung Jim
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Packing Density ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Structural Degradation ◽  
Wide Range

Of the many forms of above- and below-ground stresses facing urban trees, physical soil limitations are generally among the most persistent and least amenable to amelioration. Soil compaction is a common soil malady that afflicts many planting-sites and causes tree decline. The concept of soil structure in terms of porosity and moisture-suction is reviewed, to provide a basis for the interpretation of compaction as structural degradation. The reorganization of solid and interstitial void constituents, which can result in increased dentity of packing, is related to some fundamental physical and physico-chemical soil properties.Compaction brings about changes in a wide spectrum of related geometric and other soil attributes, the consequences of which are often inimical to plant growth. Many deliberate and inadvertent actions in urban areas increase packing density, which can be diagnosed through some field and laboratory tests. The harmful effects of compaction is exertedviamechanical impediment and other indirect impacts on root growth. Excessively loose soils and soil crusts are discussed in the light of compaction concepts and in relation to tree growth.A wide range of measures could be adopted to alleviate the problems of soil compaction. Preventive actions taken before tree planting are preferred to post-planting remedies which are cumbersome, and injurious to roots. Soils at planting sites could be partially improved by various mechanical means to reduce packing density and enhance aggregation. Coarse-textured materials with inherently high strength and resistance to dense packing could provide a stable medium for tree growth. The installation of subsurface aeration and drainage pipes could alleviate the ill-effects of compaction. Care should be taken to avoid structural degradation in stockpiling and construction activities.

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