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Situating Green Infrastructure in Context: A Framework for Adaptive Socio-Hydrology in Cities
Citation:
Schifman, L., D. Herrmann, W. Shuster, A. Ossola, A. Garmestani, AND M. Hopton. Situating Green Infrastructure in Context: A Framework for Adaptive Socio-Hydrology in Cities. WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, 53(12):10139-10154, (2017). https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020926
Impact/Purpose:
Green infrastructure (GI) typically focuses on stormwater management, however, GI also offers many benefits, such as increased property value, greenspace aesthetics, removal of carbon, and increased habitats for biodiversity. The purpose of this work is to provide a new conceptual framework tool that combines the hydrologic and social aspects of GI. This framework tool will allow stakeholders (such as communities, states, planners, and regulators) to take into account socioeconomic characteristics in addition to the hydrological benefits when installing GI.
Description:
Management of urban hydrologic processes using green infrastructure (GI) has largely focused on storm water management. Thus, design and implementation of GI usually rely on physical site characteristics and local rainfall patterns, and do not typically account for human or social dimensions. This traditional approach leads to highly centralized storm water management in a disconnected urban landscape and can deemphasize additional benefits that GI offers, such as increased property value, greenspace aesthetics, heat island amelioration, carbon sequestration, and habitat for biodiversity. We propose the Framework for Adaptive Socio-Hydrology (FrASH) in which GI planning and implementation moves from a purely hydrology-driven perspective to an integrated sociohydrological approach. This allows for an iterative, multifaceted decision-making process that would enable a network of stakeholders to collaboratively set a dynamic, context-guided project plan for the installation of GI, rather than a “one-size-fits-all” installation. We explain how different sectors (e.g., governance, nongovernmental organizations, communities, academia, and industry) can create a connected network of organizations that work toward a common goal. Through a graphical Chambered Nautilus model, FrASH is experimentally applied to contrasting GI case studies and shows that this multistakeholder, connected, decentralized network with a coevolving decision-making project plan results in enhanced multifunctionality, potentially allowing for the management of resilience in urban systems at multiple scales.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Situating Green Infrastructure in Context: A Framework for Adaptive Socio-Hydrology in Cities
Situating Green Infrastructure in Context
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