Cities are uniquely positioned to take action on sustainable stormwater management.
Concrete and asphalt dominate urban landscapes. Typically in urbanized areas, 60% of land or more is impervious surface.
Water that falls on roofs, streets, and parking lots cannot soak into the ground, and instead becomes stormwater runoff, collecting pollutants before flowing through gutters and storm drains, and eventually discharging into local water bodies.
With planning and creativity, cities can utilize one of their best assets—streets—to address resiliency and climate change while creating public spaces that are truly public; nurture streets that deliver social and economic value while protecting resources; and reconnect natural ecological processes.
Streets present both a barrier to natural hydrology and an enormous opportunity for a better approach to stormwater management. Public rights-of-way are controlled by city agencies, from design to construction to operations to regular maintenance and permitting.
Interdepartmental coordination enables more streamlined and holistic projects, ensuring that streets not only collect and infiltrate stormwater, but also realize the potential health, safety, and mobility benefits of urban stormwater street design.
Integrated design strategies address water quality and regulatory compliance along with traffic calming, bike and pedestrian access, safety, urban greening and aesthetic improvements, air quality, urban temperature, public health, community development, and equity.
To learn more, check out our Urban Street Stormwater Guide:
https://lnkd.in/gQUpZ9Hr
?? from New York, Seattle, Washington DC and Metro Transit Twin Cities!
