Strategies for Urban Development
3 likes4,785 views
The Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) promotes urban development through its 'Blue Cities' initiative, which focuses on reintegrating the natural water cycle into urban environments using green infrastructure. This approach aims to mitigate urbanization impacts like flooding and degraded water quality by employing strategies such as stormwater management and sustainable design. The initiative also emphasizes community engagement, partnership development, and the execution of demonstration projects to promote environmentally sensitive urban planning.
Strategies for Urban Development
- 1. Charles River Watershed Association Strategies for Urban Development: The Blue Cities Approach and Case Studies
- 2. • Who we are and what we do • The Blue Cities approach • Implementing the approach • Project case studies • Successes and Challenges Strategies for Urban Development: The Blue Cities Approach and Case Studies
- 3. • Environmental Science and Advocacy Organization founded in 1965 • Mission: To use science, advocacy and the law to protect, preserve and enhance the Charles River and its watershed Charles River Watershed Association
- 4. • Water quality • Sediments • Floods and low flows • Groundwater • Ecosystem and habitat • Algal blooms Impacts of Urbanization on Rivers
- 5. Standard Urban Development • Pave • Pipe • Pump Standard Urban Problems • Floods • Water table changes • Degraded rivers and streams • Hot, noisy urban canyons
- 6. In Massachusetts, average annual runoff increases from 4.2” to 23” and groundwater recharge decreases from 21” to 6.3”. Impacts of Urbanization on Natural Water Cycle
- 7. Blue Cities is a water-oriented approach to urban development and redevelopment that promote designs for the built environment that engages with every stage of the water cycle. Going beyond “green” building, “blue cities” embraces green infrastructure design with the aim of restoring the natural water cycle in the built environment CRWA’s Blue Cities Initiative
- 8. • Water centric planning and urban design • Mimic natural water cycle and restore hydrologic integrity • Retrofit sites to incorporate “green infrastructure” • Build on links to open space, public health and public realm needs Pre-development Post-development CRWA’s Blue Cities Initiative
- 9. CRWA’s Blue Cities Initiative …function like this! Try to make this…
- 11. Public realm/neighborhood scale approaches • Green streets and Greenways • Integrate stormwater management with existing open space • Stream daylighting • Regional retention and detention systems
- 12. Large site scale approaches • Parking lot retrofits • Courtyard retrofits • Permeable pavement • Constructed wetlands and other retention and detention systems
- 13. • Cisterns/ rainbarrels • Rain gardens • Stormwater planters Residential/ small site scale approaches
- 14. Blue Cities Analysis and Design Process Existing Conditions Analysis and Data Compilation Neighborhood Assessment and Surveys Issues and Opportunities Analysis Concept Design and Visualization Recommendations for Green Infrastructure Retrofits
- 15. Implementing Blue Cities • Creating Partnerships – Engaging cities, towns, state, universities / institutions – Grassroots advocacy and work with community groups • Public Education, Site Visits, Workshops – Public charettes and forums – Target audience workshops – Site visit to University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center • Developing Sub-watershed Restoration Plans – Green infrastructure assessment and design in urban and sub-urban contexts • Building Demonstration Projects – Green Street retrofits – Site scale retrofits
- 16. Blue Cities Projects • Environmentally Sensitive Urban Development – Blue Cities Guide- North Allston, Zakim North and LMA – Mystic River Collaborative Project – Blue Cities National • Sub-watershed / Neighborhood Scale – Franklin and Bellingham Subwatershed Restoration Plans – Subwatershed Plan for Broadway, Chelsea – Green Streets Guide for Allston Brighton, Boston • Site Scale Demonstration Projects – Peabody Square Greening, Dorchester – Everett Street Pilot Project, Allston – Waltham Watch Factory, Waltham – Parmenter School and Fletcher Field, Franklin – Chester Avenue and Crescent Ave, Chelsea – Porous Alley Retrofit, Boston
- 17. Blue Cities Projects Environmentally Sensitive Urban Development • Blue Cities Guide -North Allston, Zakim North and LMA • Mystic River Collaborative • Blue Cities National- Louisville, KY & Michigan
- 18. Blue Cities Projects Sub-watershed Scale • Franklin and Bellingham Sub-watershed Restoration Plans • Sub-watershed Plan for Broadway, Chelsea
- 19. Neighborhood / Street Scale • Green Streets Guide for Allston Brighton, Boston MA Blue Cities Projects
- 20. Blue Cities Projects • Site Scale Demonstration Projects – Everett Street Pilot, Allston – Peabody Square, Dorchester – Waltham Watch Factory, Waltham – Parmenter School and Fletcher Field, Franklin – Crescent Ave / Mace Apartments, Chelsea – Porous Alley Retrofit , Boston
- 24. Peabody Square
- 26. Parmenter School and Fletcher Field
- 27. Crescent Ave / Mace Apartment Retrofit
- 28. Crescent Ave / Mace Apartment Retrofit
- 30. Successes and Challenges Challenges • Coordination between traditionally silo’ d agencies • Construction supervision and oversight • Post construction monitoring and maintenance • Scaling up beyond demonstration projects • Funding for planning, design, implementation, monitoring, public outreach and education • Reduced flooding and increased recharge • Reduced ‘heat island’ effect in urban areas with increased vegetation • Aesthetic, pedestrian and public realm improvements • Improved water quality in receiving waters • Public support for neighborhood greening Successes
- 31. Charles River Watershed Association Thank You! For more information Visit us at www.crwa.org