With rapid global population growth and increasing urban and suburban
density, green spaces are sometimes seen as a luxury. However, high-performing green spaces, or green
infrastructure, provides real economic, ecological, and social benefits. Integrating green infrastructure into the built environment must be a priority.
Green
infrastructure can be considered a conceptual framework for
understanding the "valuable services nature provides the human
environment." At the regional or national levels, interconnected networks
of park systems and wildlife corridors preserve ecological function,
manage water, provide wildlife habitat, and create a balance between
built and natural environments.
At the urban level, urban
forestry and other means are central to reducing energy usage costs, managing stormwater, and creating clean,
temperate air.
Transportation networks can become green, with the addition of artful bioretention systems.
Lastly, green roofs, walls, and other techniques within
or on buildings bring a range of benefits, including reduced energy
consumption and dramatically decreased stormwater runoff. At all scales,
green infrastructure provides real ecological, economic, and social
benefits.
The benefits of green infrastructure are numerous. From the broadest environment benefits to site-specific ones, green
infrastructure is an effective and cost-efficient tool for absorbing and
sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide (C02); filtering air and water pollutants; stabilizing soil to prevent or reduce erosion;
providing wildlife habitat; decreasing solar heat gain; lowering the public cost of stormwater
management infrastructure and providing flood control; and reducing energy usage through passive heating and
cooling.
Green infrastructure
is crucial to combating climate change, creating healthy
built environments, and improving quality of life.
Organizations
American Rivers
Center for Neighborhood Technology
The Conservation Fund
The Earth Institute – Columbia University
Green Infrastructure Center
Green Infrastructure Foundation
Landscape Architecture Foundation
National Association of Clean Water Agencies
Natural Resources Defense Council
Natural England
The Nature Conservancy
Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition
World Resources Institute
Resources
Green Infrastructure, The Conservation Fund
Green Infrastructure, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
"Green Infrastructure: A Landscape Approach," The Dirt blog
Green Infrastructure Wiki
Green Infrastructure Strategies, Land Policy Institute
Interview with Congresswoman Donna Edwards on Green Infrastructure, ASLA
Interview with Nina-Marie Lister, Affiliate ASLA, on Ecological Urbanism, ASLA
Landscape Performance Series, Landscape Architecture Foundation
Nine Ways to Make Green Infrastructure Work, Regional Plan Association
Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES)
Government Resources
Environmental Protection Agency: Green Infrastructure
European Commission: Green Infrastructure
Infraestructura Verde - Green Infrastructure Plan for Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Compañía de Parques Nacionales de Puerto Rico
NYC Green Infrastructure Plan
Philadelphia Green Infrastructure Plan
Research
ASLA 2011 Honor Award. The Regeneration / Yongsan Park, Seoul, South Korea. / Image credit: UnitedLAB, Seoul, South Korea and Isaac Brown Ecology Studio, Los Angeles.
“Green Infrastructure: Sustainable Solutions in 11 Cities Across the United States,” Columbia Water Center – The Earth Institute, Columbia University, 2014
“Water and Wellness: Green Infrastructure for Health Co-Benefits,” Water Environment Federation Stormwater Report - April 2014
“Natural Infrastructure: Investing in Forested Landscapes for Source Water Protection in the United States,” World Resources Institute, 2013
“Reducing Climate Risks with Natural Infrastructure,” The Nature Conservancy, 2013
"The Case for Green Infrastructure: Joint-Industry White Paper," The Nature Conservancy with Dow, Swiss Re, Shell, and Unilever Companies, 2013
"Neighborhood Scale Quantification of Ecosystem Goods and Services," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2013
“Creating Value Through Ecosystem Service Management in Urban and Suburban Landscapes,” World Resources Institute, 2013
“Banking on Green: A Look at How Green Infrastructure Can Save Municipalities Money and Provide Economic Benefits Community-wide,” ASLA, 2013
"Case Studies Analyzing the Economic Benefits of Low Impact Development and Green Infrastructure Programs," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2013
“Microeconomic Evidence for the Benefits of Investment in the Environment – review,” Natural England, 2012
“Integrating Grey and Green Infrastructure to Improve the Health and Well-being of Urban Populations,” USDA Forest Service, New York University, University of Buffalo, 2012
“Rooftops to Rivers II: Green Strategies for Controlling Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows,” Natural Resources Defense Council, 2011 [2013 update]
“The Value of Green Infrastructure for Urban Climate Adaptation," The Center for Clean Air
Policy, February 2011
"Green, Clean, and Dollar-smart: Ecosystem Restoration in Cities and Countryside," Environmental Defense Fund, 2010
"The Value of Green Infrastructure: A Guide to Recognizing Its Economic, Environmental, and Social Benefits," Center for Neighborhood Technology and American Rivers, 2010
"Green Infrastructure Data Quantification & Assessment," Center for Neighborhood Technology, 2009
Role of the Landscape Architect
ASLA 2012 Honor Award. Red Mountain / Green Ribbon — The Master Plan for Red Mountain Park, Birmingham, Alabama / Image credit: WRT, Philadelphia
Landscape architects plan, design, and implement green infrastructure at all scales. Landscape architects work with policymakers, planners, architects, engineers, ecologists, scientists, and
horticulturalists to implement
best practices for green infrastructure systems and designs, ensuring these systems deliver benefits to both natural wildlife and human communities.
Landscape architects are involved in regional master planning, conservation and restoration efforts, urban design, and park and green roof design and construction. At all scales, they bring a critical eye for social and artistic value to the design process.
Projects
Open Space Seattle 2100 Envisioning Seattle's Green Infrastructure for the Next Century,
Seattle, Washington (Department of Landscape Architecture, University
of Washington, and the Open Space Seattle 2100 Coalition)
Coastal Roulette: Planning Resilient Communities for Galveston Bay, Galveston Bay, TX
(SWA Group)
George Washington Regional Commission: Regional Green Infrastructure Plan, Planning District 16, Virginia.
Forests & Nature Reserves >>