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stormwater management
Designing Stormwater Systems for the Future
Researchers from Kansas State University are looking into how climate change is affecting rainfall and weather patterns throughout Kansas in an attempt to better understand how stormwater systems will cope in the coming decades.“We are looking at how the state can minimize risk by developing a better understanding of past weather... [read more]
How a rain garden cleans industrial pollution
(Note: Today’s post was conceived and largely authored by my friend and frequent collaborator, Lee Epstein. Lee is an attorney, land use planner, and sustainability advocate working in the mid-Atlantic region.) As NRDC’s water program rightfully emphasizes, one of the most vexing conundrums in highly urban areas is how to... [read more]
Uptown Normal's blue-green roundabout
The term "blue-green" is taken from the Blue-Green Building website maintained by Friends of Five Creeks in Berkeley, California. We have used the term to describe a traffic circle in Uptown Normal, Illinois because the circle collects and filters stormwater (blue) and features a park and uses plants to filter runoff (green).... [read more]
Sustainable stormwater design in Pittsburgh
POPCity's current issue reports that Nine Mile Run Watershed Association (NMRWA) has received a $50,000 Springboard grant that will fund, among other projects, the construction of the Regent Square Gateway. The Gateway project will demonstrate how innovative environmental infrastructure development can improve aquatic and riparian... [read more]
Green infrastructure in smart growth, beautifully illustrated
My NRDC colleague Rachel Sohmer has produced a wonderful slide show illustrating how low-impact-development techniques for reducing stormwater runoff (sometimes called "green infrastructure") can successfully be integrated into the kinds of smart, urban environments that we need to revive cities and enable walkable, transit-oriented... [read more]
Stormwater Management should work with, not against, Smart Growth
Raining downtown, and that's just fine. flickr:bobtravisVirginia is in the process of updating statewide Stormwater Regulations. A draft has been written, and it's open for public comment until August 21, 2009. Some people are concerned that the stricter caps on nutrient loads, as they are currently written, will promote low-density... [read more]
Unpaving Philadelphia
The Greenfield School in Philadelphia is re-doing a playground as part of a city water department pilot project to combat stormwater overflow, which overwhelms the city’s sewage system, and can lead to water, oils, and salts to be dumped in the Delaware River. The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that in place of asphalt, the playground... [read more]
Busted! Bailin & Associates Fined for Clean Water Violations
Bailin & Associates faces up to $157,000 in penalties of for alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act. Bailin & Associates, Inc. of Worcester has been constructing a 79-acre residential subdivision of townhouses in Worcester, Mass. Because the company is disturbing more than one acre of land, they are required to... [read more]
Clean Water Services - Field Operations Center
A recent trip out to a meeting at the Clean Water Services Field Operations Center yielded some interesting images of some of the innovative stormwater ideas that were implemented into this project, which opened in 2003. The design was completed by Pivot Architecture from Eugene, along with Murase Associates from Portland as landscape... [read more]
Green Buildings: One Bryant Park
Many people still seem to be interested in the new Bank of America Headquarters at One Bryant Park. Not surprising really—the greenest skyscraper in the world is something to marvel at. As a result, I decided to do a definitive case study on the building so more people could know exactly how green the skyscraper is. Having had the... [read more]
Federal stimulus threatened to overrun small town with sprawl
Just last week, my NRDC colleague Nancy Stoner pointed out that the federal program that provides water infrastructure to local communities is essentially subsidizing sprawl. This is because the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (an atrocious name if I've ever heard one) "continues to fund new sewage treatment plants and new sewage... [read more]
Design that’s Environmental
Stormwater management can no longer be looked at as simply a utility to manage environmental resources. It’s now also become an important tool in the placemaking process. For decades, localities have relied on stormwater infrastructure that was costly, utilitarian, and damaging for the natural environment. But recent innovations in the... [read more]
Sustainable Cities Collective
What's New on
Kaid Benfield is director of sustainable communities and smart growth at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, DC. More »
Chris Cheatham is a LEED Accredited Professional and green building authority who frequently speaks to groups and associations. More »
Jared Green is Web Content and Strategy Manager at the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) More »
Rodrigo Herrera Vegas is a writer for for one of Argentina's main newspapers, La Nación, and a radio show host. More »
Warren Karlenzig Warren Karlenzig is the founder and president of Common Current. More »
Geoff Wilkinson is the Vice Chair of the Building Standards Faculty of the Chartered Institute of Building.i More »
Chuck Wolfe Chuck Wolfe is a lawyer, professor, and photographer who blogs at MyUrbanist. More »
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Transformation Through Technology: Delivering Better Public Services
When: Thu, 2012-05-24 08:00
Webinar: ISO 20121 - Sustainability & Event Management
When: Thu, 2012-05-24 08:00
Sustainability and Affordable Housing: an Interactive Charrette
When: Sat, 2012-06-02 11:00
Tourism and Sustainable Futures: Beyond 2015
When: Fri, 2012-06-15 09:00
Public Sector Leadership: driving cultural change
When: Thu, 2012-06-21 14:36
Youth Policy Summit on Urban Sustainability at UC Denver
When: Sun, 2012-06-24 12:00
“Ever since it appeared in The Road. Braddock has been on my radar for some time. They have been working hard up there for a long time. Very good to see the community pushed into the spotlight. Looking forward to watching this series of articles!”
“I don't walk by choice. My vision forced me to give up my car years ago. I won't lie, I miss being able to drive. I hate the bus, though Santa Clara's VTA is one of the best systems in the country. But I am able to get around. And I walk to shop, sometimes as far as 3 miles away. Sometimes I take the bus back, sometimes I just walk back. This changes ...”