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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/26949
TREE SCIENCE TREE SCIENCE New report examines the economic, social and environmental benefits of stormwater management practices reen infrastructure (GI) is a set of decentralized stormwater management practices — such as green roofs, trees, rain gardens and permeable pavement — that can capture and infiltrate rain where it falls, thus reducing stormwater runoff and improving the health of surrounding waterways. The ability of these practices to deliver multiple environmental, economic and social benefits has made green infrastructure an increasingly popular strategy in recent years. In addition to reduc- ing polluted stormwater runoff, GI practices can also lower energy consumption, air pollution and carbon emissions and improve property values, recreational opportunities and other elements of community health and vitality. Moreover, green infrastructure practices provide communities with greater flexibility to adapt to a changing climate. A new report by the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) and American Rivers titled The Value of Green Infrastructure: A Guide to Recognizing Its Economic, Social and Environmental Benefits is a broad analysis that places an economic value on the numerous benefits provided by green infrastructure. The Value of Green Infrastructure brings together current research on green infrastructure performance, and presents methods for calculating related benefits in water management, 16 Arbor Age / March 2011 energy, air quality, climate, and community livability. Green infrastructure’s value depends in large part on its benefits beyond water management and upon a community’s ability to model and measure these additional benefits. Short of conducting an intensive study and calculation of a GI project in a specific com- munity, municipalities have generally lacked the tools to evaluate green infrastructure’s multiple benefits from a financial standpoint. While a number of cities have begun to explore GI’s benefits with- in their own municipal infrastructure programs, no method for estimating or documenting these collective benefits in a particular location has yet emerged. This lack of information has hampered widespread deployment of green infrastructure. Decisions regarding stormwater infrastruc- ture investments have generally failed to factor in the multiple benefits that GI provides, and municipalities have often favored single-purpose grey infrastructure projects as a result. However, any cost-benefit analysis comparing grey and green infrastructure is incomplete if it fails to factor in the multiple benefits green infrastructure can provide. “When you can assign economic value to the wide array of green infrastructure benefits, planners, builders, and city officials can accurately evaluate the advantages of these approaches for managing stormwater in their communities,” said Danielle Gallet, www.arborage.com