Green infrastructure's triple bottom line benefits (social, environments, economic) could be broadened further if a more-dynamic, integrated and forward-thinking approach to implementing and managing green infrastructure (GI) was adopted. This would facilitate planning and design of multiple habitat, recreation and aesthetic improvements into GI asset objectives.
After a peer to peer exchange and discussions with 12 agencies (seven state DOTs and five cities, counties, or regional agencies), our scan team agreed that eight attributes of GI management were required for successful GI implementation: 1) Definition of GI, 2) Maintenance, 3) Watershed Approach, 4) Information Development and Sharing, 5) Public Outreach, 6) Asset Management, 7) Design, and 8) Construction Inspection of BMPs. Not all these categories or findings are necessarily being exercised in more than one or two jurisdictions. Nevertheless, the team determined that by using all the approaches and solutions combined would provide successful, long-term results, despite varied climates, geographies, and topographies.
GI practice across state DOTs is inconsistent and seems to be employed only when required. GI is not yet a part of the DOT stormwater management toolbox and is not routinely employed as a standard stormwater management method. Currently no nationally recognized standard definition of GI exists. Although multiple agencies and websites provide definitions, there is no standard. An agreed-upon definition is needed for multiple reasons. These include grant funding consistency, federal eligibility, categorization of GI projects, design approaches, and recognition in the transportation realm. There is also a need to recognize relationships of LID, constructed environments, and construction practices to GI. The GI definition should explain the relationship between LID and GI, as well as the subcategories of those elements, e.g., biofiltration strips and swales, and compost-amended vegetative filtration strip.
The GI definition should explain the relationship between LID and GI, as well as the subcategories of those elements, e.g., biofiltration strips and swales, and compost-amended vegetative filtration strip.
Each GI asset needs planning, design including geotech, maintenance including integrated vegetation management, and appropriate staff support resources including training, equipment and implementation guidelines to ensure long-term sustainability of these assets and resiliency of transportation infrastructure.
These eight management attributes should not be approached as separate issues. We found interrelationships between planning, asset management, maintenance, and a watershed approach and recognized the interrelationship between LID and GI. Removing of silos and piecemeal approaches and recognizing and understanding how LID can be incorporated with GI will encourage adopting more-dynamic, integrated and forward-thinking solutions. We offer information that would broaden and make GI practices more effective. GI should be a fully integrated, multi-discipline approach that should be considered and coordinated throughout the life of the project through multiple phases: e.g., planning, design, ROW, construction, post-construction and maintenance.