Project Statement
On the forefront of sustainable design
in urban neighborhoods, the City of Chicago worked with
the project team to create The Chicago Green Alley
Handbook, a manual promoting the City’s use
of best management practices within public alleyways.
Beyond communicating the City’s program, the handbook
outlines sustainable techniques that adjacent property
owners can implement on their own commercial, industrial,
and residential properties. Crafted with a clear and
transferable message, it serves as a model to create
greener, environmentally sustainable urban places.
Project Narrative
With approximately 1,900 miles of public
alleys, Chicago has one of the most extensive and important
pieces of infrastructure of any city in the world. Because
the alleys were originally unpaved, there was no need
for drainage structures or connection to the sewer system.
Rainwater simply drained through the gravel or cinder
surfacing. Over time, the majority of alleys were paved
over with concrete and asphalt paving, translating into
3,500 acres of paved impermeable surface. As a consequence
of this, flooding became a problem in many alleys.
Initially, the project team was commissioned
to develop a series of eco-friendly prototypes for the
City of Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT)
to improve the drainage problem without incorporating
additional costly sewer infrastructure. The landscape
architect provided the vision for development of
each prototype for what became the Green Alley Program.
In Fall 2006, the prototypes were constructed as pilot
projects at five locations throughout the City of Chicago.
These prototypes will be incorporated into the construction
of new, and reconstruction of existing, alleyways to
enhance the City’s current alley program. Through
the integration of permeable paving, recycled materials,
reflective pavements, and energy-efficient, dark sky
compliant lighting, the program will reduce the amount
of stormwater runoff into the storm sewer system by
up to 80 percent, reduce localized flooding of adjacent properties,
and reduce the urban heat island effect. To bolster the public improvements, sustainable initiatives
were developed for adjacent property owners including
green roofs, rain gardens, recycling, planting native
trees and plantings, and collecting and reusing rainwater
for irrigation.
The city and project team recognized
the need for a public outreach campaign to communicate
the message and intent of the Green Alley Program. Serving
as an “action guide,” a booklet was developed
to promote the program to a general audience and clearly
depict ways in which the public can participate in greening
the city. The landscape architect worked with CDOT on
the handbook content and format development and was
responsible for the overall graphic design, text, and
graphic content of the handbook.
Intended Purpose and Message
The Chicago Green Alley Handbook was developed
to promote and educate residents and public officials
to the benefits of the Green Alley Program, as well
as to encourage property owners adjacent to green alleys
to incorporate sustainable techniques on their property
to increase the performance and environmental benefits
of the green alleys. Sustainable solutions for adjacent
properties are segregated into techniques that include
general costs and a key denoting the appropriateness
of the application for residential, commercial, and industrial
properties.
Intended Audience
The handbook is intended for City of Chicago residents,
adjacent property owners, and public officials. The handbook
is designed to be user-friendly with clean, simple diagrams
and graphics that illustrate the technologies. The content
is crafted with easy to understand written descriptions
and benefits of each of the techniques and principles.
Immediate Impact and Effectiveness
As a result of positive feedback from residents and
a demonstration of public leadership’s confidence
in the program, five existing alleys have been reconstructed
using green alley principles, including various types
of permeable paving, recycled materials, and dark sky/energy-efficient
lighting. The Chicago Green Alley Handbook
played an important part in promoting the program and
demonstrating the City’s commitment to the program.
Distribution Method and Circulation
Print copies are distributed at public meetings held
to promote the Green Alley Program and inform and educate
residents and adjacent property owners. Copies have
also been distributed to aldermen and public officials,
informing them of the program and to generate interest
in funding future green alley projects as an alternative
to traditional alley renovation. The final draft of
the handbook was approved in January 2007 and an initial
2,000 copies of the handbook were printed. As the Green
Alley Program is implemented throughout the city, it
is anticipated that thousands more copies of the handbook
will be distributed to the public. In addition to the
printed version and in keeping with the sustainable
idea of conserving resources, the handbook was formatted
digitally and posted on the City of Chicago Department
of Transportation website for public viewing and download
access.
An eye-catching and attractive communication
piece, The Chicago Green Alley Handbook accomplishes
its goal of promoting the Green Alley Program and encouraging
public participation in the greening of Chicago. With
consistent and well-organized messaging and graphics,
the handbook is a user-friendly manual on sustainable
design for a general audience. The clarity of the handbook
will help to ensure the Green Alley Program is well
received by the Chicago community and its messaging
is easily transferred to other urban cities interested
in integrating sustainable design principles. It is
for these reasons that The Chicago Green Alley Handbook
is worthy of recognition by the American Society of
Landscape Architects.
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