Seeing green in infrastructure

We all know that water runs downhill. The larger area that is covered in solid, non-permeatable surfaces (think roofs, roads and parking lots) the more water that is impacting the downhill communities. I would suggest that communities work together. Legal and budget concerns tend to make each community a solo entity in planning and implementing flood control.

We could use more green infrastructure programs in prisons. Inmates could earn a certificate in green infrastructure design that would allow them to play an integral role in ecologically sustainable development while obtaining fulfilling and steady employment after leaving prison.

Thank you for this great summary of the benefits of (and barriers to) green infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers points toward a $105B gap between committed public funds and those needed to maintain and update our water infrastructure through 2025. World Resources Institute and The Nature Conservancy recently published a report called "The Business of Planting Trees" (https://www.wri.org/sites/default/files/business-planting-trees_0.pdf) that highlights one promising solution: impact investors (see Fresh Coast Capital profile on page 38-39). Communities have so much to gain from green infrastructure and we hope private capital can help cities realize these benefits sooner.

Very good article that I think does a nice job of explaining both green and gray as well as acknowledging that ultimately we will need to combine both strategies in our urban areas where constraints are plentiful. To succeed, I think its key that we implement policy that gives practitioners maximum flexibility to meet water quality goals with a diverse list of proven solutions and also puts the drivers in place to ensure all of our stormwater BMPs are maintained as required. Whether green or gray we continue to fall short in keeping our solutions operational! Putting a spotlight on lifecycle cost vs simply the initial capital and installed cost will be a critical step in this process.

Great article Caitlyn. Proper storm water management can save local governments money by avoiding damage to sewer lines, roads, and bridges, as well as reducing property damage, the need for dredging and lost business revevues.