Jennifer Lawrence - Practical Solutions for Urban Heat Island and Stormwater Management
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Jennifer Lawrence, Sustainability Planner for the City of Cambridge, speaks on the City’s ongoing Vulnerability Assessment on climate change, and some possible measures the City can take to improve its climate resilience. Presented at the Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming conference at Harvard University on May 3, 2015, organized by Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. www.bio4climate.org
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Jennifer Lawrence - Practical Solutions for Urban Heat Island and Stormwater Management
- 1. City of Cambridge Practical Solutions for Urban Heat Island and Stormwater Management Jennifer Lawrence Sustainability Planner Community Development Department May 2015
- 2. Community Engagement • Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment • Climate CoLab contest on Urban Heat Island Effect • Bicycle Network Plan
- 3. Planning for the future in Cambridge
- 7. Practical Solutions in Cambridge
- 10. Green Roofs
- 11. Alewife Sewer Separation Project • 70% of the Alewife area has a combined sewer and drain system • 1996: 50 million gallons of sewer overflow annually • 2015: expected at 7.3 million gallons annually • Over 400 trees will be planted • Alewife Wetland Project included: 115,000 new wetland plants 3,800 new upland plants 1,600 linear feet of trails and boardwalks Amphitheater Benches and bike racks
- 15. Thank you! Jennifer Lawrence Sustainability Planner City of Cambridge Community Development Department jlawrence@cambridgema.gov 617/349-4671 www.cambridgema.gov/CDD @CDDat344 May 3, 2015
Editor's Notes
- As we move forward through our planning processes, meaningful and effective community engagement is a common goal. In the past year, the Community Development Department has engaged the community around many issues. Quickly, as they relate to infrastructure projects, I’ll outline three: The Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Preparedness Plan took place between late 2012 and now. The vulnerability assessment is now complete, after dozens of taskforce meetings (expert advisory panel and technical advisory committee), 41 meetings with community groups (engaging over 900 residents and business owners), and a series of large public meetings. The next step will be to re-engage the participants as we draft our preparedness plan. The Climate CoLab contest on the UHI engaged hundreds of people around the world in proposing creative mitigation techniques for the urban heat island. Over 30 proposals were submitted and our expert judging panel decided up 5 winners. These five presented to the Climate Protection Action Committee in April, and then 3 were chosen to present to the City Manager. It is the goal, that as we move forward in our planning efforts, we can take these proposals into consideration for implementation. The Bicycle Network Plan (relevant because of the materials we can build our infrastructure with, as you’ll see with the Western Avenue project) engaged over 1,000 people using a menu of outreach opportunities. We hosted an online Wikimap where people could comment on specific geographic locations and needed change, an online and paper survey, and we camped out at many comuniyt events and local businesses with maps to ask for feedback from the community.
- One of the reasons we have focused so much on creating these plans in the past few years, is to create a baseline of data to help us forecast out to future truths. What most regions have done to date, especially regarding climate adaption, but also regarding sustainable trasnportation, is to use what has happened in the past as the baseline – we wanted to reach out and really try to figure out what is going to happen in the future, especially based on current trends. It is definitely not perfect, but at least a start. We have created: heat maps, flooding maps. bicycle network planning maps, tree inventory, and much more. As many people know (but some do not), Cambridge is a very collaborative planning City. We have regular meetings between the Water Department, the Department of Public Works, Traffic and Parking, the Public Health Department, Police and Fire, and many others, to ensure that the work that we are doing (in building infrastructure, education, and enforcement), are coordinated as we work together towards a sustainable future. Next I will show you just a few of the maps that we have created –these have to do with urban heat island.
- There are various existing and planned projects in Cambridge where infrastructure was replaced and/or created to affect stormwater runoff and urban heat island. From permeable pavement, to bioswales, to biortention areas (rain gardens), to tree plantings, we think holistically about the impact new development has on urban heat and stormwater management. As we redevelop streets through the DPW 5 year plan, and through our sewer separation program, we have the opportunity to have a positive impact on these two challenges. we are also installing bioretention areas (rain gardens) throughout the city. Only the ones of Fawcett Street are constructed and I don’t have images, 7 others are in construction. These reduce impervious area and create green islands that also helps reduce urban heat island effects. Just an FYI.
- What is a bioretention area? A bioretention area, also called a rain garden, is a stormwater treatment system that is a depression integrated into the landscape. How does a bioretention area work? A bioretention area captures runoff from an impervious surface and allows that water to infiltrate through the soil media. As the water infiltrates, pollutants are removed from the stormwater runoff through a variety of mechanisms including adsorption, microbial activity, plant uptake, sedimentation, and filtration. Some of the incoming runoff is temporarily held by the soil of the bioretention area and later "leaves" the system by way of evapotranspiration or exfiltration to the ground water. Specific information on pollutant removal processes can be found in publications. An animation depicting the overall process can be viewed here. How effective are they at removing pollutants? Bioretention areas have been found to remove metals, nutrients, sediment, and fecal coliform, provided they are situated, designed, constructed, and maintained appropriately.
- We have installed a series of bioretention areas in Cambridge. These include, but are not limited to: Along Western Ave (which you’ll hear more about in a minute) Along the Alewife Sewer Separation project area (also to be discussed in a minute) At Fawcett Street and in seven other areas in the near future At 147 Hampshire Street. The Department of Public Works rain garden was intended to be used as an educational tool to help and teach the community about stormwater management and how the affect the system. Along the Alewife Brook (for which we received national recognition)
- While there are various green roofs in Cambridge, the Cambridge Police Department is the first municipal building with a green roof. This structure is 9,000 square feet. It is built on two levels on 6th street.
- Alewife Sewer Separation Project Federal Court order to assist in cleaning up the Boston Harbor 70% of the Alewife area has a combined sewer and drain system 50 million gallons of sewer overflow in 1996 and is expected to be reduced to 7.3 million gallons (on an annual basis) by the end of 2015
- Over 200 buildings in the project area will have private inflow work to have rain water directed straight to drainage system. (photo attached) Planting over 400 trees throughout the project Converted the combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfall to a stormwater outfall (Alewife Wetlands) – photo attached The Alewife Wetlands project was named project of the year in 2014 by the American Public Works Association & on the cover of several magazines. (photos attached) Alewife Wetland Project included: 115,000 new wetland plants Over 3,800 new upland plants 1600 linear feet of trails and boardwalks Amphitheater Benches and bike racks
- Western Ave Reconstruction Project Western Ave is more complicated. We are separating common sewers and needed to build a new stormwater ourfall. We are also trying to address water quality issues regarding phosphorous control so we have a complicated hydroslide deflection system to help address first flush pollutants. The more traditional Best Management Practices we are using are porous pavement and a rain garden at Cronin Park, as well as deep sump catch basins with hoods.
- Planting additional trees Constructed a new stormwater outfall at the Charles River (photo attached) Separated the combined sewer system New cycle track is made of impervious pavement and will be connected to the drainage system to allow for a puddle free bike ride during and after rain events. (photo attached)