What is green infrastructure?
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Green infrastructure (GI) refers to constructed features that use living, natural systems to provide environmental services, such as capturing, cleaning and infiltrating stormwater; creating wildlife habitat; shading and cooling streets and buildings; and calming traffic. GI is a strategy that a growing number of communities are using to manage stormwater more sustainably, while using that water to grow vegetation that provides myriad benefits.
Green infrastructure approaches include:
- construction of bioretention facilities (capturing stormwater using vegetated features in rights-of-way, streets, and parking lots),
- implementation of rain gardens and downspout disconnection (residential water harvesting),
- reduction of hardscape,
- restoration of riparian buffers and greenways/wildlife corridors,
- promotion of urban forestry, and
- creation of neighborhood mini-parks featuring sustainable landscaping practices.
The majority of these approaches use the same basic formula: collecting stormwater, close to where it falls, in depressed earthen basins vegetated with trees, shrubs and grasses.
Why use green infrastructure?
GI addresses multiple community issues through the use of one integrated solution. GI practices provide the following services:
- Cleaning stormwater: GI practices use soils, plants and organic matter to filter and break down pollutants in stormwater.
- Reduced flooding: Earthen basins in GI practices allow stormwater to infiltrate into the soil, instead of collecting on streets and parking lots.
- Water conservation: GI approaches provide passive irrigation to street trees and shrubs, allowing neighborhoods to have valuable vegetation without unduly increasing dependence on ground- or surface water supplies.
- Traffic calming and neighborhood livability: Chicanes, medians, traffic circles and right-of-way improvements all help to create neighborhood streets that are safe and inviting for pedestrians and bicyclists, not just for cars.
- Aesthetics and wildlife: Native and low-water use plants that thrive on stormwater-based irrigation create beautiful landscapes, habitat for native birds and insects, and a unique sense of place that celebrates each community’s unique ecosystem.
- Shading streets and sidewalks and reducing urban “heat island” effects: Planting street trees and removing hardscape cools neighborhoods in hot summer months, and can help to reverse the heat island effect (phenomenon of increased temperature in urban areas as a result heat-trapping and radiating properties of concrete and asphalt).
- Increased property values: The Arbor Day Foundation has proven that homes and neighborhoods with trees have higher property values.
- Community building: By improving the outdoor environment and making streets safe for people, integrated stormwater improvements make it easier for neighbors to gather and interact. Also, many neighborhoods work with WMG and others to make stormwater improvements through volunteer workshops that build community.
Learn more:
- Check out WMG’s publications and resources on green infrastructure here.
- Learn about training opportunities with WMG to learn first-hand how to design, install and maintain neighborhood GI practices here (link to Training page)
- Contact WMG if your neighborhood, school, business or organization is interested in learning how to implement green infrastructure strategies.
