Unless we change direction, we will most
likely end up where we are heading.
National Association of Regional Councils & Virginia Tech project
Funding from USFS National Urban & Community Forestry Advisory Council
Green Infrastructure Assessment:
Mapping and Evaluating the Support System for
Green Infrastructure Planning in the US
Courtney E. Kimmel, PhD
Virginia Tech - CNRE
[email protected]
NARC Annual Meeting
June 11, 2012
Energy & Communications Systems
Water & Sanitation Systems
“Soft” Infrastructure Systems
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Where do Ecological Systems fit?
Markets
Governance
Education
Health
Transportation Systems
Building Stock
http://www.amycaseypainting.com/
benefits people obtain from ecosystems
Globally valued ~$33 trillion annually
Value largely not captured by the market
Green Infrastructure
Features integrated into the landscape and existing
infrastructure systems to provide, protect, maintain, or
enhance ecosystem services in human dominated
landscapes.
Site Scale Tools & Strategies
• Integrated systems approach
• Connectivity
• Multi-beneficial including
social & economic
City & Community Scale Implementation
Regional & Landscape Scale Systems
• Green Infrastructure > Features
• Green Infrastructure is the outcome of people making choices
• Goal: Help people make choices by strengthening the GI network
Top-Down
(i.e. Federal Agencies, NGOs, Professional Associations, Foundations)
Who is advocating and supporting GI? Why? How?
Drivers
Drivers
Networks
Barriers
Tools &
Strategies
Ground-Up
Who is employing GI? Why? How? Who is involved?
Why Green Infrastructure?
Regulatory
Compliance
Community &
Economic
Development
Asset & Risk
Management
Habitat
Conservation
Ecologically Responsive
Growth Planning
Climate
Adaptation &
Mitigation
Water Management
American Rivers – an approach to
water management…is effective,
economical, and enhances QOL
CNT – that naturally manages
stormwater, reduces flooding risk,
and improves water quality
Ecojustice Canada – to dramatically
reduce the impacts of development and
environmental damage in the urban
environment
NARC – supports native species,
maintains natural ecological
processes, sustains air and water
resources, and contributes to the
health and quality of life
Conservation Fund – that
conserves ecosystem values and
functions and provides associated
benefits to human populations
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy –
provides residents of high-density
neighborhoods with a vital connection
to the natural world as well as beneficial
environmental benefits including
absorption of stormwater.
US Forest Service – to identify the best
land to conserve and best land to
accommodate development, in order to
help communities balance environmental
and economic goals
Strategic Conservation
Sustainable Cities Institute
(Home Depot Foundation)
– can meet multiple goals
in cost-effective ways
495/ Metrowest Partnership – to
recycle stormwater, conserve
energy, and protect habitat in a way
that encourages connectivity,
supports development, and is
environmentally and economically
sustainable
Land Policy Institute – becomes
part of the persona of a place
Economic
Environmental
EPA Office of Water – an
approach to wet weather
management…to maintain or
restore natural hydrologies
Clean Water America Alliance –
(AKA LID) that can be used to
eliminate or reduce the amount
of stormwater and NPS pollution
runoff…that run into CSO systems
Top-Down
(i.e. Federal Agencies, NGOs, Professional Associations, Foundations)
Who is advocating and supporting GI? Why? How?
Drivers
Networks
Barriers
Tools &
Strategies
Ground-Up
Who is employing GI? Why? How? Who is involved?
Who is advocating & supporting GI?
Federal Agencies &
Programs
National NGOs:
Professional
Associations & 501(c)3
States
Foundations
Academic
Institutions
Business
Community
Opportunities for greater cooperation and efficiency
Who is involved in planning and
implementing green infrastructure?
• Catalyst & Broker roles are key
• The type of actor group that provides the catalyst and broker services often
determined by driver
• Networks are often boundary-spanning (public-public; public-private)
• Effective green infrastructure networks require early collaboration
Who are local “Sparkplugs”?
(often determined by driver)
• Sparkplugs provide the energy and vision for GI implementation
• What happens when a sparkplug goes away?
Top-Down
(i.e. Federal Agencies, NGOs, Professional Associations, Foundations)
Who is advocating and supporting GI? Why? How?
Drivers
Networks
Barriers
Tools &
Strategies
Ground-Up
Who is employing GI? Why? How? Who is involved?
Top-Down
(i.e. Federal Agencies, NGOs, Professional Associations, Foundations)
Who is advocating and supporting GI? Why? How?
Drivers
Networks
Barriers
Tools &
Strategies
Ground-Up
Who is employing GI? Why? How? Who is involved?
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Regional networks
National networks
Virtual networks
What works? What doesn’t work?
• Federal Resource Identification Guide
• Case studies of innovative financing strategies
• Blog or aggregated list of updated funding
opportunities
• What else?
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Centralized discussion board
Listserv
Discussion groups
Webinar series
What else?
• Effective engagement strategies
• Network formation
• Effective public-public or public-private
partnerships
• How GI has been an effective strategy for
achieving various goals
• What else?
• What format?
• Data resources (repository; synthesis; etc.)
• Toolkit for building an effective regional/
local GI network
• What else?
• Green Infrastructure Workbench
• Technical assistance consulting
• What else?
Courtney E. Kimmel
[email protected]