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The Green Experiment: Cities, Green Stormwater Infrastructure, and Sustainability

Author

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  • Christopher M. Chini

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2521 Hydrosystems Lab, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

  • James F. Canning

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2521 Hydrosystems Lab, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

  • Kelsey L. Schreiber

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2521 Hydrosystems Lab, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

  • Joshua M. Peschel

    (Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, 2348 Elings Hall, 605 Bissell Road, Ames, IA 50011, USA)

  • Ashlynn S. Stillwell

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2521 Hydrosystems Lab, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

Abstract

Green infrastructure is a unique combination of economic, social, and environmental goals and benefits that requires an adaptable framework for planning, implementing, and evaluating. In this study, we propose an experimental framework for policy, implementation, and subsequent evaluation of green stormwater infrastructure within the context of sociotechnical systems and urban experimentation. Sociotechnical systems describe the interaction of complex systems with quantitative and qualitative impacts. Urban experimentation—traditionally referencing climate change programs and their impacts—is a process of evaluating city programs as if in a laboratory setting with hypotheses and evaluated results. We combine these two concepts into a singular framework creating a policy feedback cycle (PFC) for green infrastructure to evaluate municipal green infrastructure plans as an experimental process within the context of a sociotechnical system. After proposing and discussing the PFC, we utilize the tool to research and evaluate the green infrastructure programs of 27 municipalities across the United States. Results indicate that green infrastructure plans should incorporate community involvement and communication, evaluation based on project motivation, and an iterative process for knowledge production. We suggest knowledge brokers as a key resource in connecting the evaluation stage of the feedback cycle to the policy phase. We identify three important needs for green infrastructure experimentation: (i) a fluid definition of green infrastructure in policy; (ii) maintenance and evaluation components of a green infrastructure plan; and (iii) communication of the plan to the community.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher M. Chini & James F. Canning & Kelsey L. Schreiber & Joshua M. Peschel & Ashlynn S. Stillwell, 2017. "The Green Experiment: Cities, Green Stormwater Infrastructure, and Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-21, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:1:p:105-:d:87647
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    3. Thomas Meixner & Alan R. Berkowitz & Alisen E. Downey & Jose Pillich & Reese LeVea & Brianne K. Smith & Mark Chandler & Neha Gupta & Stan Rullman & Anna Woodroof & Jennifer Cherrier, 2021. "Rapid Assessment and Long-Term Monitoring of Green Stormwater Infrastructure with Citizen Scientists," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-21, November.
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    16. Blal Adem Esmail & Lina Suleiman, 2020. "Analyzing Evidence of Sustainable Urban Water Management Systems: A Review through the Lenses of Sociotechnical Transitions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-45, June.
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