Feb green team presentation 4
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
0 likes•330 views
FEB Green Infrastructure Community of Practice Powerpoint as of 7/30/2012 at 9 pm
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (9)
Similar to Feb green team presentation 4
Similar to Feb green team presentation 4 (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Feb green team presentation 4
- 1. Atlanta Federal Executive Board Leadership Government Program PROPOSAL TO CREATE A FEDERAL GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE TO BENEFIT METRO ATLANTA Atlanta Federal Center August 15, 2012
- 2. Survey Distribution and Respondents • 10 Federal Agencies with an impact on Green Infrastructure (GI) in the Metro Atlanta Area • Respondents included: – EPA - Brownfields, CDC, GSA, USDA - Forrest Service, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service, EPA- Stormwater, USDA – National Resources Conservation Service and HUD. • Percentages were calculated from the total number of respondents 2
- 3. Participant GI Definition Analysis • 9 Responses – 9 different definitions of Green Infrastructure • All respondents have a 22% 11% different view of what GI Products is and how to address it. Services 33% Environment • Adopting a broader view Combination of GI can help everyone 33% work together to address GI in a way that meets all stakeholders needs. 3
- 4. GI Continuum Landscape Regional Site specific EPA EPA FS FWS FHWA CDC Brownfields HUD Stormwater GSA Forest Service (FS) Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Federal Highway Administration (FWHA) Centers For Disease Control (CDC) EPA – Brownfields (EPA-BF) Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) GSA EPA – Stormwater Preservation / Low Impact Site Conservation Development Note: Based on Initial Survey 4
- 5. Current Needs Identified in Survey • Continued Support and GI Education • Help identifying other agencies and organizations with funding and authority to apply GI • “Spread the word” • Leads on material, resources and ideas • Water and Wetland Mitigation techniques • Stable Funding • Planning models that inventory sensitive lands and buffer them to support synergistic public infrastructure • Storm water detention designed as community space 5
- 6. GI Essential Ecological Services - The Basic Infrastructure of All Life • Green Infrastructure is a critical and basic step to achieve Sustainable Development • Nature’s Ecological Services –Recharge Groundwater –Clean Air –Clean Water –Plants for Pollinators –Etc. 6
- 7. Is Our Current Land Development Approach Sustainable? As we develop, tracks of undisturbed nature become fragmented. Ecosystem services are undermined in highly urbanized settings. Undeveloped Land 95-100% nature Developed Atlanta 85-95% Impervious 7
- 8. Impacts of Current Land Development Practices Proctor Creek, Atlanta, GA Urban Streams do not meet Clean Water Act Goals of Fishable and Swimmable Incised, Unstable Banks - Commonplace with Urban Streams - Substantial Erosion
- 9. Impacts of Current Land Development Practices Impacts of Metro Atlanta’s Growth and Increasing Impervious Surfaces Historic Flooding of 2009 – Stress for Residents – Damage to Metro Atlanta’s Economy 9
- 10. Impacts of Current Land Development Practices • Lake Lanier - Reduced Infiltration (Imperviousness!) • Less Groundwater Recharge • Drought Conditions Worse • Worries about Drinking Water Supply 10
- 11. Historical Trends (Population Density) 11
- 12. Historical Trends (Population Density) 12
- 13. Historical Trends (Population Density) 13
- 14. What is Green Infrastructure? Green Infrastructure (GI) is strategically planned and managed networks of green space that protect ecosystem values and functions through an array of products, technologies, and practices. GI conserves or mimics natural processes to ensure the provision of basic services provided by nature. The continuum of GI includes practices at the individual project site, neighborhood and regional scale. 14
- 15. In Addition to Essential Ecological Services: Social and Economic Benefits GI Benefits to Metro Atlanta –“significant with tremendous opportunities” Social Benefits Economic Benefits • Improved quality of life • Reduced costs for treating • Better public health drinking water • Increased recreation • Increased efficiencies in opportunities agencies working together • Reduced flooding • Reduced Utility Bills • Increased Real Estate Values • Reduced Dependency on Cars Triple Bottom Line Benefits: Environmental, Social and Economic 15
- 16. Green Infrastructure is Not More Expensive
- 17. What is the Federal Green Infrastructure Community of Practice? • Self-selected federal staffs, informally come together, to share expertise and passion for learning about and contributing to efforts to incorporate GI at all scales to benefit the City of Atlanta. • The intrinsic value is in meeting to share information, discuss and solve problems, develop new ideas, leverage resources, and build relationships with peers who share common goals and objectives. • The community of practice continues as long as interest is expressed. 17
- 18. Why Develop a Green Infrastructure Community of Practice? Broaden discussion to educate practitioners about all scales of Green Infrastructure – All scales produce a similar outcome - "a place for nature - natural system processes to provide ecological services” Breakdown the stovepipe mentality – Find and seek opportunities to tie different efforts together Change in approach needs to be widespread. – Atlanta's efforts will encourage others to adopt 18
- 19. Bridge the Barriers of Traditional Disciplinary Boundaries Comprehensive, integrated and strategic approach to land use decision making AIR WATER SOIL LIFE Architects - Civil Engineers - Landscape Architects- Ecologists - Planners Architects Civil Engineers Landscape Architects Ecologists Planners … 19
- 20. Benefits of a Community of Practice • Fosters peer to peer information exchange and learning among members • Promotes a consistent approach and terminology • Encourages Federal coordination, collaboration and cooperation on plans, strategies and policies • Reduces duplication and increases partnerships • Encourages new ideas and innovation • Understanding funding sources 20
- 21. Atlanta is Adopting Green Infrastructure Practices Atlanta City Hall Green Roof Atlanta Fire Station #16 Rain Garden Fernbanks Rain Garden Serenbe Low Impact Community 21
- 22. Next Steps • Meet others working on this topic and create a network of practitioners • Identify Topics for Discussion including developing a common terminology • Educate federal agencies and their staffs about what GI is, how it works • Share information • Develop a steering committee with rotating leadership so ownership is shared • Focus the COP on the City of Atlanta - gain experience working together here will translate into working together in other locations 22
- 23. Next Steps – Website and Environmental Directory 23
- 24. Next Steps • How to get involved – ideally it would be great for one person from each agency to be on the team; the hosting of the meeting would ideally rotate between agencies involved – Formulate how meetings would work…enjoyable, meaningful, productive – Create an agenda—what other agencies are doing – Establish logistic for CoP and methods for communication – Quarterly Meetings 24
Editor's Notes
- What the purpose of the presentation is.
- FEB Green Team prepared and distributed a survey to understand status of GI work by Federal Agencies.
- Definitions differed due to focus on different aspects of the GI continuum – different stovepipes. Adopting a broader view also help people “get” that nature and systems that mimic nature need to be thought about in all future land use decisions.Products – FHWAServices – CDC, EPA (SW), HUDEnvironment – FWS, FS, NRCSCombination / not everything – EPA (BF), GSAAll – 0
- Here are the recipient responses and note because EPA participants works on stormwater “green infrastructure” best management practices, they did not report out the work done on Low Impact Development through the Sustainable Communities program of EPA, HUD and DOT. This data supports the need to broaden our definition of green infrastructure.
- Stable funding sources that provide for the long range planning of green infrastructure systems – positioned to include water management, parks, trails, greenways, sidewalks with planting strips adequate for mature canopy trees, outreach to the design/development community and environmental education. Construction material resources and ideas are always beneficial. Water and wetland mitigation techniques can further our partners understanding.All respondents seem to have similar challenges:FundingResourcesEducation
- Green Infrastructure was first used by the conservation/preservationists to discuss the need to recognize that essential infrastructure for ecological functions will only be available if we leave a critical mass of undisturbed nature to provide them. Mark A. Benedict, Edward T. McMahon, The Conservation Fund wrote the book. Fragmentation caused by development patterns eliminates natural systems that provide clean air, clean water and clean land resources. The stormwater folks co-opted the term for use as a best management practice for the management of stormwater – green roofs, rain gardens, cisterns, etc. Conclusion: Society needs green infrastructure as much as it needs roads and sewer systems.
- Downtown Connector Flooded 2009
- Drought
- This series of three slides shows housing density in the Southern United States in 1970, 2000 and predicted for 2030.
- Growth in Georgia2000 -2010 GA gained 1.5 million new residents Regional Water Planning 2009-2011
- With this projected population growth, it is clear that a new paradigm to land use development is necessary to ensure Sustainable Communities. The land use decision making process at the site, neighborhood and regional scales need to be integrated to ensure that basicEcological services are maintained.
- In order to begin integrating our green infrastructure work we have provided a broad definition that includes all aspects of the work being understaken. And we propose the formation of a Federal Green Infrastructure Community of Practice.
- In addition to the environmental benefits Metro Atlanta will also benefit socially and economically from incorporating green infrastructure in our land use decision making.
- Here is academic research showing that including green infrastructure in land use decision making is less expensive.How is monetary value assigned to an ecosystem service? Environmentalists and economists frequently suggest that there would be a greater incentive for environmental stewardship if ecosystem services were valued in a manner that reflects the large contribution they have to our economy and society. Assigning a monetary value to a particular service can be very complicated due to issues of scale and the complexity of ecological interactions that make isolating the economic effects of one service difficult. Although challenging, valuation is seen as essential for encouraging conservation. Economists have developed innovative methods that attempt to quantify ecosystem services and the economic benefits of conservation. Instead of developing values for individual landscape features, such as a wetland, a healthy stream reach or headwaters, many economists have found that holistic valuation techniques that monetize a range of services provided by a landscape to be a more effective communication tool. At times, value is measured indirectly through payment for ecosystem services (PES) programs that compensate landowners for conserving land so that others may benefit from the multitude of ecosystem services the land supplies. Value can also be estimated by citizen’s willingness to pay (WTP) to use or protect a land area or ecosystem service. Another common indirect valuation method is the estimation of avoided costs to society due to protection activities. Cost avoidance scenarios are used to communicate the costs associated with losing ecosystem services and replacing them. These scenarios are commonly used to show costs saved from the prevention of flood damage or impairments that would occur if a floodplain was not intact.
- The only requirement for participation is interest in this effort.
- Key practicitioners to engage.
- We seek to facilitate the adoption of GI in the Greater Atlanta Region through greater Federal Agency communication, coordination, and collaboration by creating a GI Community of Practice to: Foster peer to peer information exchange and learning among membersPromote a consistent approach and terminologyEncourage Federal coordination, collaboration and cooperation on plans, strategies and policiesReduce duplication and increase partnershipsEncourage new ideas and innovation
- Fernback Rain Garden Educational SignageCity Hall’s Green RoofAtlanta Federal Center’s Green RoofFire Station #16 Rain Garden – Proctor Creekhttp://www.serenbecommunity.com/serenbeoverview.htmlAtlanta’s Mayor has the goal of being a Sustainable City.
- We seek to facilitate the adoption of GI in the Greater Atlanta Region through greater Federal Agency communication, coordination, and collaboration by creating a GI Community of Practice to: Foster peer to peer information exchange and learning among membersPromote a consistent approach and terminologyEncourage Federal coordination, collaboration and cooperation on plans, strategies and policiesReduce duplication and increase partnershipsEncourage new ideas and innovation