Lecture slides 1 to 9 for Vacant to Vibrant

Course Introduction Green Infrastructure Lecture 1

Welcome!

Learning Objectives • A key to the course!

• Introduce lecture content • Basis for practice and assessment

• Example: Explain the goals, student expectations, and schedule for this course • What might we expect in the lecture?

Syllabus Overview • Three course learning goals • Learning objectives help move us toward the course learning goals

• Expectations • Textbook readings • Three modes of assessment

• Schedule • Nine lecture hours • Final exam

Activity: Understanding Learning Goals • Explain the goals, student expectations, and schedule for this course What are possible exam questions that could be developed from this learning goal?

Does the question relate to one of the three themes?

Does answering the question involve explaining?

Does answering the question correctly require competence?

Activity: Understanding Learning Goals • Explain the goals, student expectations, and schedule for this course Not a valid exam question: “True or False: This course has three learning goals.”

The correct answer does not require the student to explain.

The correct answer does not require knowing what the learning goals are.

Valid exam question: “How will final grades be determined in this course?”

The question relates to student expectations.

The correct answer requires one or two sentences of written explanation.

Learning Objectives: Urban Vacant Land • Compare and contrast different types of green infrastructure • Describe historical and ongoing dynamics leading to urban land vacancy

What is Green Infrastructure?

• Living infrastructure in the form of natural and engineered ecological systems (West Coast Environmental Law)

• Environmental benefits • Social benefits • Economic benefits

Examples of Green Infrastructure Urban Agriculture • Environmental • Food production is primary goal • Potential for some stormwater mitigation

• Social • Community building through shared labor in a neighborhood space • Rehabilitation • Education & outreach options

• Economic • Food security • Small ag business development

Rain Gardens • Environmental • Stormwater mitigation is primary goal • Reduce erosion & water pollution

• Social • Aesthetic value • Urban green space associated with reduced crime • Potential for recreation & other options

• Economic • Stabilize property values • Landscaping business development

Discussion Questions 1. What are some benefits and challenges that both urban agriculture and rain gardens share?

2. What benefits does urban agriculture provide that rain gardens cannot?

3. What benefits do rain gardens provide that urban agriculture cannot?

4. What advantages and disadvantagess might other types of green infrastructure have to offer?

Land Vacancy: Historical Dynamics • Population change in U.S. Great Lakes Region from 1950-2010 • Five cities with losses of 5-26% • Seven cities with losses of 37-62%

• Economic drivers • Reduced manufacturing after WWII • Lack of economic diversification • Automation • Racial politics

Land Vacancy: Ongoing Dynamics • Declining cities • Home vacancy does not necessarily mean land vacancy • Funds may be limited or unavailable due to limited tax base • Planning may assume resurgence • Contaminated soils common

• Growing cities • Steep slopes difficult to build on • Urban sprawl • “Leftover” parcel shapes

Discussion Questions 1. How has population loss from U.S. cities in the Great Lakes region during the past 50 years translated into urban land vacancy?

2. During the late 20th century, what factors made Canadian cities in the Great Lakes region more robust to changes in population than their U.S. counterparts?

3. What are some reasons that cities with declining populations do not always have increases in urban vacant land?

4. What are some reasons that rapidly growing cities can still have high levels of urban vacant land?

Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Green Infrastructure Lecture 2

Learning Objectives • Describe changing approaches to managing urban vacant land • Identify factors that have facilitated greater use of green infrastructure for stormwater management • Explain the relative benefits and drawbacks of large installations and distributed systems for stormwater management

Managing Urban Vacant Land • Urban life cycle concept • • • •

Initial urban expansion Population loss due to economic downturns Expansion on the periphery, often driven by “white flight” – suburbs, exurbs Urban renewal – how to prepare for and stimulate?

• Urban land vacancy historically considered an indicator of “blight” • Urban life cycle concept held that urban renewal would occur when economic conditions become favorable • Planners have treated vacant land as a temporary problem as a result

Managing Urban Vacant Land Is land vacancy truly temporary in these cities?

Managing Urban Vacant Land • Some smaller cities are planning to shrink urban infrastructure • Projected population continues to be relatively small • Dependency on one company for manufacturing jobs • Examples: Flint, MI & Youngstown, OH

• Some cities are planning with restoration of rivers and lakes in mind • Maintaining existing urban infrastructure, rather than planning for continued low population • Enhancement of urban green space as a strategy for attracting residents and diversifying local economy

Discussion Questions 1. Why have urban planners historically treated urban vacant land as a temporary problem?

2. What are some structural factors that can make it difficult to manage urban vacant land as urban green space?

3. Describe three examples of how U.S. cities have changed their approach to managing urban vacant land. Which approach do you consider to be the best, and why?

4. How was the Vacant to Vibrant project’s perspective on the use of urban vacant land similar to and different from prior, established perspectives?

Changes Favoring Green Infrastructure • Access to urban vacant land • Most common as small residential or commercial parcels • Aggregation via land banks simplifies transfer of ownership • Example: Slavic Village, Cleveland (25% vacant)

Changes Favoring Green Infrastructure • Role of economics • Existing gray infrastructure is aging • Costly maintenance and improvements needed • Smaller tax base

• Need for stormwater management • Nearly half of municipal discharge due to runoff from impervious surfaces • Major vector for non-point source pollution

Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer

Changes Favoring Green Infrastructure • Role of regulation • Clean Water Act of 1972 addresses non-point source pollution • US-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement identifies degraded watersheds • Enforcement actions by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency include fines, consent decrees Edgewater Beach CSO

Discussion Questions 1. Why is the management of stormwater runoff a key infrastructure challenge for many U.S. cities in the Great Lakes region?

2. How have economic factors acted as a driver in encouraging the use of green infrastructure for urban stormwater management?

3. How has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency leveraged the Clean Water Act acted to encourage the use of green infrastructure for urban stormwater management?

Strategies for Installation Design • “Large” green infrastructure • Contiguous vacant land dozens of acres in size • Multiple parcels may be aggregated • Example: Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

• “Small” green infrastructure • Distributed across dozens of vacant parcels • Parcels are less than one acre

Which approach is more feasible in each Combined Sewer Area?

Aggregated Installation Design Benefits • Collects stormwater from a larger land base • Single stormwater management feature simplifies design • Opportunities to create lakes and parks as green space • Regulation and monitoring are relatively straightforward

Challenges • Requires relatively high rates of land vacancy in a neighborhood, or defunct industrial site • Acquiring all parcels in a specific neighborhood • Use of former industrial sites likely to require expensive remediation • Requires sewer separation and discharge infrastructure

Distributed Installation Design Benefits

Challenges

• Stormwater is collected closer to where it actually falls • Land acquisition and demolition costs are more limited • Opportunities for strengthening community engagement • Focuses on land with prior use less likely to require major remediation

• Potential mismatch between vacant parcels and suitability for mitigation • Relevant data and spatial tools more difficult to acquire • Top-down planning is at odds with how use of vacant parcels is typically determined • Inter-agency coordination and costsharing likely to be required

Discussion Questions 1. What are some of the advantages of distributed stormwater management systems over large installations?

2. What are some of the advantages of large stormwater management installations over distributed systems?

3. Beyond stormwater management, how do the additional benefits to urban residents compare for distributed systems and large installations?

4. What are some of the structural challenges that create barriers to implementing distributed stormwater management systems?

Role of Urban Dynamics Green Infrastructure Lecture 3

Learning Objectives • Give examples of the influences of cultural history and neighborhood context on the prevalence and location of urban vacant land • Give examples of the influences of land use history and physical factors on potential uses of urban vacant land • Investigate the history of U.S. cities to explain observed differences in urban vacant land use

Social Influences on Urban Land Vacancy Cultural History

Neighborhood Context

Vacant to Vibrant: Social Demographics Buffalo, NY

Cleveland, OH

Gary, IN

West Side

Woodland Hills

Aetna

5,395

21,059

4,671

Population (< 18) %

30

24

28

Population (18 < 65) %

64

63

61

6

13

11

Race (black) %

22

89

82

Race (white) %

44

7

11

Race (other than black or white) %

34

4

7

Hispanic (all races) %

31

1

9

Neighborhood Characteristics Population

Population (> 65) %

Vacant to Vibrant: Economic Demographics Buffalo, NY

Cleveland, OH

Gary, IN

West Side

Woodland Hills

Aetna

74

76

85

23,003

24,151

23,519

40

35

37

78,433

89,238

57,900

648

630

739

Houses mortgaged %

15

24

38

Houses owned %

11

10

21

Houses rented %

74

66

41

Neighborhood Characteristics Residents with high school diploma % Median income ($) Residents below poverty level %

Median home value ($) Median monthly rent ($)

Vacant to Vibrant: Local Environments Buffalo, NY

Cleveland, OH

Gary, IN

West Side

Woodland Hills

Aetna

Houses occupied %

83

74

66

Houses vacant %

17

26

34

Tree canopy cover (%) a,b,c

12

24

10–20

89 (68)

62 (60)

10 (34)

Neighborhood Characteristics

Walkability score (city average)d aAmerican

bDavey cU.S.

Forests, Urban Ecosystem Analysis Buffalo-Lackawanna Area Erie County, New York (Washington, DC: American Forests, 2003).

Resource Group, The Cleveland Tree Plan (Kent, OH: Davey Resource Group, 2015)

Forest Service, Indiana’s Forests, Resource Bulletin NRS-45 (Washington, DC: U.S. Forest Service, 2008).

d”Walk

Score®”, Redfin, http://www.walkscore.com

Discussion Questions 1. How have shared social influences during the past sixty years contributed to the high prevalence of urban vacant land in Cleveland, Gary, and Buffalo?

2. Among the three neighborhoods described in the text (Buckeye-Woodland Hills, Aetna, and Buffalo’s West Side), which context sounds the most like “home” to you? What does this tell you about your own cultural history?

3. What have been the long-term outcomes of the environmental movement for land use in each of the three neighborhoods?

4. How have race and class influenced the location of urban vacant land in Gary? By comparison, why do the outcomes look so different in Buffalo’s West side?

Cleveland, OH: Buckeye-Woodland Hills

Gary, IN: Aetna

Buffalo, NY: West Buffalo

Discussion Questions 1. How does demolition history in Buckeye-Woodland Hills illustrate the importance of physically investigating a vacant parcel before assigning it to a new use?

2. How does the land use history in Aetna create disadvantages for implementing green infrastructure compared to the land use history in Buffaloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s West Side?

3. What unique challenges do the soils in each of the three neighborhoods described in the text present for stormwater management?

Urban Histories: Cleveland, OH

Urban Histories: Gary, IN

Urban Histories: Buffalo, NY

Discussion Questions 1. What information sources did the Vacant to Vibrant team use to study the history of urban vacant land in Cleveland, Gary, and Buffalo?

2. What information sources can you find online that would enable you complete a new column to Table 2-1 for your own city?

3. Which professionals would you seek to contact directly to develop a history of urban vacant land in your own city?

4. What are possible ways you could identify and reach out to community members to develop neighborhood-specific histories?

Planning: Site Selection & Design Green Infrastructure Lecture 4

Learning Objectives • Apply predetermined selection criteria to identify suitable neighborhoods for a green infrastructure pilot project • Describe a top-down approach to site selection for green infrastructure pilot projects • Link site information with selection criteria for plants and other design elements to develop a suitable site plan

Sites for Distributed Green Infrastructure

Overview of Site Selection Process

Table 3-1: Selecting Neighborhoods Criterion Stormwater management target area

Possible Indicators

Example Metrics

• Sewer district target area

• CSO events/gallons per year

• Green zoning designation

• Gallons of untreated water released

• Lack of compliance with NPDES permit/water • Existing green infrastructure regulations, whether CSO or MS4 • Required compliance metrics

Neighborhood stabilization • Federal, state investment for stabilization or demolition target area • City planning designation

Urban greening permitted

• Institutional density • Population density & rate of change • Demographic information

• Existing moderate levels, or growing rates, of • Demolition rate vacancy/abandonment • House occupancy • Farming / gardening presence • Urban farms & community gardens • Existing/planned urban greening projects

• Private gardens

• Formal designation as area that permits/ encourages green infrastructure

• Green stormwater control measures

• Green reuse welcomed by residents

Discussion Questions 1. What resources for your own city do you need to determine which the indicators and metrics in Table 3-1 fit each neighborhood?

2. Using the indicators and metrics in Table 3-1, which neighborhoods in your own city are targeted for improvements to stormwater management?

3. Using the indicators and metrics in Table 3-1, which neighborhoods in your own city are targeted for neighborhood stabilization?

4. Using the indicators and metrics in Table 3-1, which neighborhoods in your own city are likely to allow new urban greening efforts?

Overview of Site Selection Process

Table 3-2: Selecting Block Groups Criterion Land can be accessed

Existing land infiltrates stormwater

Possible Indicators

Example Metrics

• Publicly owned vacant lots

• Vacant parcels / vacant land area

• Private vacant lots with owner who supports green reuse

• Existing lease agreements • Side yards

• Public vacant land lease/purchase programs • Soils infiltrate water • Clay content • Water table sufficiently low

• Infiltration rates

• Local topography appropriate for collecting • Water table depth stormwater • Topography: slope, slope variability • Majority of demolition occurred ca. 1996 or • Impervious surface area later • Frequent flooded areas Area located within single • No abrupt changes in large topographical • Topography: elevation, slope features sewershed • Sewer/watershed location Moderate land vacancy

• Sewer maps suggest same sewershed • Aerial photography, parcel-level datasets, &/or site visits show vacancy

• Vacant parcels / vacant land area

• Vacant parcel average size, density, connectivity • Demolition history

Table 3-2: Selecting Block Groups Criterion Moderate house occupancy

Possible Indicators • 60% or more of standing houses are occupied

Example Metrics • Home occupancy • Rental rates • Population density

Demand for recreation

• Neighborhood violent crime rates not so high as to discourage recreation

• Postal vacancy rates • Crime rates • Institutional density

• Foot/bike traffic

• Existing recreational space

• Located close to school, assisted living facility, public transport

• Resident feedback

• Sufficient demand for (more) recreational space

• Residents living with 10-minute walk of park

• Signs of informal recreational use

• Foot paths, tire swings

Urban greening welcomed • Neighborhood plans incorporate urban greening • Parcels in green reuse

• Urban green space is a desired potential land use • Green zoning designations • Existing green reuse

• Resident feedback

Overview of Site Selection Process

Table 3-3: Selecting Candidate Parcels Criteria Parcel appropriate for passive–active use

Possible Indicators • Nearby residences, businesses, schools

• Institutional density

• Low near-term redevelopment potential

• Nearby occupancy

• Low conservation need

• Indicators of informal recreation use • Bulk density

Soils will permit • No seasonal/episodic standing water stormwater infiltration • Low clay content

Parcels do not pose contamination hazard

Example Metrics

• Infiltration rate

• Low compaction

• Soil core inspection

• Topography appropriate for collecting stormwater

• Slope

• Not Brownfields

• • Site history: public records, oral history

• Past/present land use does not raise concerns for contamination (no • Soil testing: contaminants underground tanks, tire/chemical dumps, dry cleaners)

Table 3-3: Selecting Candidate Parcels Criterion Excavation likely to be uncomplicated

Current land use in line with recreational use

Parcel access can be secured

Possible Indicators

Example Metrics

• Known land use & demolition history

• Site history

• Demolition occurred under ordinances governing removal of demo debris

• Soil core inspection

• Not a known past dumping ground • Currently used as a cut-through, playing field, or gathering place

• Site visit

• Not adjacent to parcels or features that pose a safety hazard

• Resident feedback

• Residents are on board • Ordinances permit urban greening • Purchase, lease, or other agreement possible

• Indicators of current use

• Ownership • Zoning • Property value

Table 3-4a: Parcel Suitability, Quantitative Quantitative Criteria

Explanation

Occupied houses within 100 ft of parcel

Indicates localized housing occupancy. Are there enough residents

nearby to benefit from a project?

Curvature of parcel

How concave or convex a parcel is. It is easier to collect stormwater

runoff on concave parcels.

Curvature of area within 100 ft of parcel

How concave/convex area around parcel is. Parcels that sit within a localized depression can collect runoff from adjacent parcels.

Mean slope of parcel

Steepness of slope, averaged across parcel. Parcels with a steep slope harder to use for recreation.

Table 3-4a: Parcel Suitability, Quantitative Quantitative Criteria

Explanation

Standard deviation of slope of parcel

Variability of slope. Can indicated depressions where older demolition debris collapsed into basement, or hills of soil/debris that would require regrading/removal.

Mean slope of area within 100 ft of parcel

Steepness, averaged across surrounding area. Hills obstruct views onto parcel; parcels within depressions can collect runoff from adjacent parcels.

Mean aspect in compass degrees of parcel

Compass direction of hills and depressions on parcel give information about direction of runoff flow.

Mean aspect in compass degrees of area

Compass direction of hills and depressions surrounding parcel give

within 100 ft of parcel

information about direction of runoff flow.

Table 3-4b: Parcel Suitability, Qualitative High-Weight Qualitative Criteria (Y/N)

Explanation

Area around the parcel does not present

Obvious problems on adjacent parcels such as guard dogs, drug

obvious concerns for safety/stability

activity, or safety concerns excluded parcels from consideration.

Parcel grade is not significantly different from On some streets, houses were built on hills that were positioned sidewalk grade

above street level; runoff from these parcels flows into streets.

No high-quality trees on site

Valuable trees would need to be incorporated into project design; trees of poor quality would need to be removed.

Parcel slopes away from street

Parcels that slope from street could naturally divert street flow.

No hills or depressions that might indicate

Housing debris or dumping on site would require remediation

buried debris

before construction.

Table 3-4b: Parcel Suitability, Qualitative Low-Weight Qualitative Criteria (Y/N)

Explanation

Curb at the street is absent

Parcels without street curbs could naturally collect street flow.

Sidewalk is absent

Parcels without sidewalks would require sidewalk construction, a significant community benefit but also cost.

Driveway apron has been removed

Historic driveways and aprons make it easier to drive onto the parcel, of concern for parking and dumping on site.

Fire hydrant present

Potential water source.

No adjacent street drain

Street drains divert flow from stormwater management features.

Parcel is not an existing side yard

Many cities sell vacant lots to adjacent homeowners at a discount, for ongoing maintenance (â&#x20AC;&#x153;side yardâ&#x20AC;?).

Signs of existing informal use

Parcels that are already used as cut-throughs, play lots, gathering spots indicate demand for more formal programming.

Discussion Questions 1. What were three overarching goals of the Vacant to Vibrant project that helped to drive the site selection process?

2. How was the process of selecting candidate neighborhoods for the Vacant to Vibrant project similar across the three cities? What city-specific differences were necessary?

3. How were census block groups within each neighborhood evaluated to determine whether they met the relevant selection criteria?

4. Why was it necessary for the Vacant to Vibrant team to use a two-stage process to narrow down the list of candidate parcels from census block groups?

Design Phase

Cleveland: Nature Play Site

Cleveland: Natural Beauty Site

Cleveland: Pocket Park Site

Gary: Neighborhood Welcome Site

Gary: Walled Garden Site

Gary: Play Lawn Site

Buffalo: Plant Nursery Site

Buffalo: Handball Court Site

Buffalo: Corner Park Site

Plants and Hardscape

Plant Selections Type

Common Name

Scientific Name

Grass

Dwarf fountain grass

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'

Switch grass

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal'

Black-eyed susan

Rudbeckia fulgida

Daylily

Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro'

Liriope

Liriope muscari 'Big Blue'

Virginia sweetspire

Itea virginica

Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Sumac

Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low'

Northern bayberry

Myrica pensylvanica

Inkberry holly

Ilex glabra 'Compacta'

Forb

Shrub

Plant Selections Type

Common Name

Scientific Name

Shrub

Rose of sharon

Hibiscus syriacus

Witch hazel

Hamamelis virginiana

Serviceberry (multi-stem)

Amelanchier arborea

Pawpaw (multi-stem)

Asimina triloba

Eastern redbud (multi-stem)

Cercis canadensis

Red-osier dogwood

Cornus stolonifera

Yellow twig dogwood

Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea'

Honey locust

Gleditsia triacanthos

Tulip poplar

Liriodendron tulipifera

Tree

Discussion Questions 1. Based on available information about topography, built features, and drainage area, depict a rain garden sized and positioned in a manner to enable stormwater mitigation as if this were the only intended use.

2. Based on the available information about desired/undesired recreational uses, spatial dimensions, and current built and natural features, depict recreational design elements in the site plan as if this were the only intended use.

3. Aim to reconcile the two previous designs, with a focus on preventing mutual degradation of stormwater mitigation value and recreational value resulting from physically overlapping drainage and recreational uses.

4. Based on the available information about soils, plant functions, and desired/undesired aesthetics, depict which plant species you will include in the rain garden and which, if any, you will add or remove from the site as additional aesthetic features.

Planning: Community Engagement Green Infrastructure Lecture 5

Learning Objectives â&#x20AC;˘ Explain the relevance of community engagement in green infrastructure planning â&#x20AC;˘ Give examples of concerns among members of economically disadvantaged communities that can influence project design â&#x20AC;˘ Modify a design plan based on negative community feedback

Why Community Engagement Matters

Goals of Community Engagement

Community Engagement for Vacant to Vibrant Less effective

Engagement Methods • • • • • •

Electronic surveys, email Hosted project-specific community meetings Phone conversations In-person conversations Attended standing community meetings Stoop surveys

More effective

Process-Related Benefits & Challenges

Influence of CE on Vacant to Vibrant Designs

Post-Design Feedback

Discussion Questions 1. What were the initial goals of the community engagement process during the Vacant to Vibrant project?

2. What advantages and disadvantages did the Vacant to Vibrant team discover in each of the methods they used to engage local communities?

3. How did differing underlying assumptions between the project team and community members, and among different community members, lead to planning challenges?

4. How did community input lead to differing design themes for projects in the Aetna neighborhood compared to those in the Woodland Hills neighborhood?

Economically Disadvantaged Communities

Resident Requests During Planning

Resident Concerns During Planning

Discussion Questions 1. What design requests from local residents during the planning phase of Vacant to Vibrant did you find the most surprising, and why?

2. To what extent were the safety concerns expressed by parents during planning similar to those you would expect to see from parents in an upper middle class neighborhood? To what extent did these concerns differ?

3. How did residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiences with lack of municipal investment in their communities influence their requests during project planning?

4. How did residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiences with nature influence their requests during project planning?

Residents May Take Visual Concepts Literally

Opportunity for Specific Feedback

Balancing Competing Uses

Discussion Questions 1. While showing the project plans for the natural beauty site in Woodland Hills, several birdwatchers from the neighborhood point out that the site lacks seating and that songbirds need 20’ between nest sites. Update the site layout plan in Figure A-2a to improve the site’s use for birdwatchers.

2. During a community meeting in Aetna, several new families with young children show up. After much discussion, the older residents agree that the design for the walled garden site should include an active play feature that can be supervised by an adult. Update the site layout plan in Figure A-5a to improve the site’s use for safe active play.

3. At a team meeting with PUSH, it becomes evident that you misunderstood the organization’s concept of the outdoor plant nursery. They expect the site to include a composting space and shrub plantings that can potentially be used to generate transplants for other sites. Select two suitable shrub species and add additional information to Figure A-7b to expand the nursery design.

Figure A2-a

Figure A5-a

Figure A7-b

Implementation: Project Installation Green Infrastructure Lecture 6

Learning Objectives • Develop a set of criteria for selecting contractors for installation and maintenance • Determine key project features to be included in a request for contractor bids • Explain actions needed to translate project designs into physical reality

Project Installation as a Process

Written Agreements

Cleveland: Woodland Hills Sites

Gary: Aetna Sites

Buffalo: West Side Sites

Discussion Questions 1. Select one of the design plans you developed during the previous two lessons.

What specific activities will a contractor need to be able to carry out independently at the project site to successfully complete installation?

2. Based on the experience of the Vacant to Vibrant project team, what are some modifications that may become necessary during installation due to unexpected, site-specific needs?

3. After the project has been installed, how will it be maintained? What skills are needed for maintenance to be successful?

4. What role would you like project installation and maintenance to play in neighborhood stabilization? How will this influence your process for selecting contractors?

Contractor Engagement

Project Summaries City

Project

Cleveland Nature play

Size

Recreational Use

(sq ft)

Costa

Cost / gallonb Stormwater CSO

6,292

Active

Swing, bench

$13,531

$0.09 $0.88

Natural beauty

4,346

Passive

Bird houses

17,653

0.17

1.66

Pocket park

4,590

Active

Bench, swing, balance

19,004

0.17

1.70

beam a

Installation costs. Costs for two Buffalo project costs were averaged after they were billed jointly.

b

Cost per gallon of stormwater and capture based on precipitation in a typical year (NOAA, 1981â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2010) and

assuming 10 gallons of stormwater capture to mitigate 1 gallon of CSO (average from NEORSD, 2012).

Project Summaries City Gary

Project Neighborhood

Size

Recreational Use

(sq ft)

Costa

Cost / gallonb

Stormwater CSO

4,368

Passive

Walled garden

6,575

Play lawn

5,148

Path, neighborhood sign

20,777

0.19

1.95

Light active Picnic table

16,819

0.10

1.05

Active

14,007

0.11

1.12

8,827

0.06

0.58

35,305

0.15

1.51

8,827

0.08

0.80

welcome

Picnic table play lawn, bat houses

Buffalo

Plant nursery

5,168

Passive

Path, plant nursery

Handball court

9,271

Active

Picnic tables, handball court

Corner park

3,203

Light active Bench, pervious parking, path

Discussion Questions 1. Based on the design plan you selected in the previous set of questions, what type(s) of expertise must the contractor have to be hired for installing and/or maintaining the project? What additional type(s) of expertise is helpful, but not required?

2. What is the available budget for installation of the project? How much of the budget is for materials and equipment, and how much is for labor?

3. What is the budget for modifications during and after installation, should they become necessary? For maintenance?

4. What timing limitations are imposed on the project? Which limitations are based on physical factors (e.g., waiting for the soil to thaw in spring), and which are based on human needs/regulations (e.g., minimizing disruption to the neighborhood)?

Installation

Cleveland: Nature Play Site

Cleveland: Natural Beauty Site

Cleveland: Pocket Park Site

Gary: Neighborhood Welcome Site

Gary: Walled Garden Site

Gary: Play Lawn Site

Buffalo: Plant Nursery Site

Buffalo: Handball Court Site

Buffalo: Corner Park Site

Discussion Questions 1. What organizations did the Vacant to Vibrant project team need to sign agreements with before they could break ground to install the projects at each site and why?

2. Which organizations in your own city would require written agreements with your project team before the team can install green infrastructure projects?

3. What challenges did the Vacant to Vibrant project team overcome in identifying contractors to carry out installation, and how did they reach this goal?

4. What specific activities did these contractors carry out at the project sites?

Which activities required additional input or expertise from the Vacant to Vibrant project team?

Implementation: Design Modifications & Maintenance Green Infrastructure Lecture 7

Learning Objectives â&#x20AC;˘ Describe potential logistical challenges requiring design modifications during or after installation â&#x20AC;˘ Describe potential social challenges requiring design modifications after installation â&#x20AC;˘ Modify the design of an installation based on observation and negative community feedback

Logistical Challenges: Regulations

Logistical Challenges: Materials & Placement

Logistical Challenges: Maintenance

Discussion Questions 1. What are three examples of changes the Vacant to Vibrant team made to planting design during installation? Why were these changes necessary?

2. What are three examples of changes the project team made due to municipal policy or permitting challenges?

3. How did experiential learning related to stormwater management lead to changes during installation that the project team could not have anticipated during the design phase?

4. How might you respond to challenges similar to those the Vacant to Vibrant team faced if they were to occur during installation of the project you have previously designed?

Social Challenges: Site Damage

Social Challenges: Resident Complaints

Social Challenges: Inclusivity & Class

Discussion Questions 1. What are three examples of changes the Vacant to Vibrant team made after installation to discourage undesired behaviors at the sites?

2. What are three examples of changes the project team made after installation in response to unanticipated behaviors at childrensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; active play sites?

3. What challenges did the project team face in ensuring site accessibility for disabled community members?

4. How did the Vacant to Vibrant team get feedback from residents on the projects after installation? What are three examples of changes the project team made in response to this feedback?

Channels for Community Feedback

Responding: Communications

Responding: Design Modifications

Discussion Questions 1. After installation of the Nature Play Site (Figure 4-1b), a local resident who uses a motorized wheelchair with a 3’ x 3.5’ footprint points out that no paths are available, making it difficult for her to watch over her grandchildren while they are playing. Using Figure A-1a, what design changes would you make to improve accessibility?

2. After installation of the Play Lawn Site (Figure 4-6b), residents living adjacent to the site begin to complain to the city that unsupervised children are climbing on and leaping from the bollards. The residents fear they will be held liable if a child gets hurt. Using Figure A-6a, what design changes would you make to discourage the children’s behavior?

3. After installation of the Corner Park Site (Figure 4-9b), stormwater begins pooling in the middle garden plot, never reaching the rain garden in the north corner of the site. Using Figure A-9, what design changes would you make to improve the site’s stormwater management function?

Cleveland: Nature Play Site

Gary: Play Lawn Site

Buffalo: Corner Park Site

Sustaining Green Infrastructure Green Infrastructure Lecture 8

Learning Objectives • Explain how maintenance and plant choices affect the continuance of green infrastructure installations • Describe examples of successful community stabilization efforts associated with green infrastructure projects • Explain how factors such as professional networks, class assumptions, and racial assumptions can influence the success of green infrastructure projects

Long-Term Success Requires Maintenance

Equity: Volunteer vs. Paid Labor

Low Maintenance (Volunteer Labor) Month

Labor Hours

May

6

Mow & trim lawn

Labor Hours

Check and repair equipment Remove trash & debris 8

8

Maintenance Tasks Remove trash & debris

July

4

Mow & trim lawn Water new plants Remove trash & debris

Prune woody plants August

6

Mow & trim lawn

Mow & trim lawn

Water new plants

Weed & mulch beds

Mow natural areas (once per year) Remove trash & debris

Weed paths & hard surfaces Remove trash & debris

June

Month

Remove trash & debris

April (spring cleanup)

Maintenance Tasks

September

4

Over-seed lawn Remove trash & debris

Mow & trim lawn

Weed beds Add new plants to beds

Mow & trim lawn

Mow & trim lawn

October (fall cleanup)

8

Cut decorative grasses (optional) Plant trees Check and repair equipment

Benefits and Challenges of Native Plants

Simplified Plantings Easier to Maintain

Discussion Questions 1. On p. 108, the author notes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;maintenance burden is judged in relation to available capacity.â&#x20AC;? What factors did the Vacant to Vibrant team find influenced maintenance capacity at each installation?

2. Why were the simpler Vacant to Vibrant installations ultimately the ones that had the greatest long-term success?

3. What are the long-term advantages and drawbacks of using of native plants for green infrastructure?

4. Another possible approach to balancing multiple land uses on small vacant parcels is to design for both stormwater management and urban gardening.

How are the maintenance needs for this type of project similar to and different from those balancing stormwater management and recreation?

Community Economic Stabilization

Stabilization: Woodland Hills Neighborhood

Stabilization: Aetna Neighborhood Randall Hyman / GLPF

Stabilization: West Side Neighborhood

Discussion Questions 1. What were the general strategies people in Buffalo, Gary, and Cleveland used to ensure the Vacant to Vibrant installations would be maintained over time?

2. For each of the three strategies, what additional capacity building was needed?

How was this capacity built?

3. In which of the three cities do you believe the goal of community stabilization was most successful, and why?

4. For the city that you believe was the least successful in community stabilization, what changes would you suggest?

Professionals Interface with Communities

Professional Urban Greening Networks

Resident Experiences and Expectations

Conflicts within the Community

Professionalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Unexamined Assumptions Randall Hyman / GLPF

Depending on context, could convey that gentrification lies ahead

Discussion Questions 1. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of having a larger local network of urban greening professionals to carry out green infrastructure projects?

2. How did conversations with residents of low-income neighborhoods reveal class-based assumptions about connectivity often held by urban planners and landscape architects?

3. How did the reception of the completed nature play site by residents in the Woodland Hills neighborhood reveal racial and class assumptions held by the Vacant to Vibrant project team?

4. What are other examples of ways that race and class differences might influence the suitability of design choices for green infrastructure projects?

Scaling Up Green Infrastructure Green Infrastructure Lecture 9

Learning Objectives • Explain the technical, structural, and social challenges involved in broadening the use of green infrastructure • Describe methods for evaluating the cost effectiveness of green infrastructure projects • Outline an action plan to facilitate broader adoption of lowmaintenance green infrastructure

Broadening Use of Green Infrastructure

Technical Challenges

Building Knowledge of Plant Function

Structural Challenges

Social Challenges

Discussion Questions 1. How does understanding of plant function among urban greening professionals limit the potential of green infrastructure?

2. Why is the ownership of vacant land an important factor in determining the feasibility of a green infrastructure project?

3. What are some examples of physical factors that influenced the cost effectiveness of the Vacant to Vibrant installations? Structural factors?

4. What are some reasons that people might perceive landscapes with useful ecological functions as less valuable?

Project Cost Effectiveness Affects Success

Physical Measurements Benefits

Drawbacks

Economic Measurements Savings & Revenue

Costs

Some Features are Difficult to Quantify

Discussion Questions 1. What physical measurements are needed to evaluate whether a green infrastructure project for stormwater management is successful?

2. What economic measurements are needed to evaluate whether a green infrastructure project for stormwater management is successful?

3. What measurements could be used to evaluate whether a green infrastructure project for economic stabilization is successful?

4. What measurements could be used to evaluate whether a green infrastructure project focusing on recreational land use is cost effective?

Facilitating Broader Adoption

Engaging Policymakers for Change

Engaging Communities for Change

Policy and Long-Term Planning

Discussion Questions 1. What actions can you take to identify policies in your city or region that create barriers to or decrease the cost effectiveness of green infrastructure?

2. What information do you need about your city or region in order to construct a persuasive argument for the greater use of green infrastructure?

3. What are possible ways to stimulate greater interest in green infrastructure among residents in your city or region?

4. What are possible ways to persuade policymakers to makes changes that facilitate or improve the effectiveness of green infrastructure projects?