This document discusses principles for sustainable land development. It covers green goals related to the environment, society, and economy. It also discusses ecosystems and ecosystem services, as well as air, soil, and water quality. Best management practices are presented for erosion prevention, stormwater management, and construction. Both non-structural practices like limiting impervious surfaces and structural practices like infiltration facilities are described. The importance of considering the entire development process from master planning to operations is emphasized.

1. Sustainable Principles for Land Development
Sustainable design isn’t about doing something neat, it’s about doing something right.

2. Today, we will discuss
• Green Goals
• Ecosystems & Ecosystem Services and Products
• Air Quality
• Soil Quality
• Water Quality
• And a smattering of best management practices

3. Sustainable Development
A Definition
Licensed by the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0

4. Green Goals
Environmental
Water Water
Quantity Quality
Greenhouse Air
Gas Quality Energy
Emissions
Natural Biodiversity
Resources

5. Green Goals
Social
Equity
Community
Health
Cultural

6. Green Goals
Economic
Cost Savings
Cost Neutral
Cost Additive

7. Best Management Practices (aka BMPs)
Two Types
N

8. Best Management Practices (aka BMPs)
Over 200 BMPs for Land Development
• Social Goals • Erosion Prevention-Source
• Stormwater Quantity & Control
Quality/Non-Infiltration • Non-Stormwater Requirements
• Stormwater Quality/Non- for the 1200C Permit
Infiltration • Erosion Prevention & Sediment
• Stormwater Quantity & Control - Runoff Control
Quality/Infiltration • Erosion Prevention
• Conveying Stormwater • Sediment Control
• Restoration • Materials
• Transportation • Siting Considerations
• Landscapes • Construction Management
• Water Use • Operations & Maintenance
• Source Control • Urban Food

9. Generic BMP Example

10. Drink Local Organic Beer

11. Steps to a Sustainable Development
Operations &
Maintenance
Construction
Design
Master
Planning

12. Non-structural BMPs
Integrated Design Teams

13. Parts of an Ecosystem
Copied from http://www.fws.gov/invasives/volunteersTrainingModule/invasives/plants.html

14. Ecosystem Products & Services

15. Air

16. Non-structural BMPs
Shade south facing walls

17. Non-structural BMPs
Shade air conditioners

18. Non-structural BMPs
Choose Good Materials
Courtesy of Willamette Graystone

19. Non-structural BMPs
Salvage Materials

20. Non-structural BMPs
Recycle Construction Materials

21. Non-structural BMPs
Reduce lawns

22. Structural BMPs
Native Plants

23. Structural BMPs
Native Plants

24. Soil
Image taken from the NRCSUrban Soils Primer

25. Soil
Image from Soil Quality
Information Sheet, U.S.
Department of Agriculture

26. Non-structural BMPs
Limit Compaction

27. Non-structural BMPs
Restore Soil
from Soils for Salmon website
From EPA Acid Rain Student Site

28. The Hydrologic Cycle
A Definition
The continuous movement of water through everything.

29. The Water Balance Model
Water Quantity Before
37” rainfall
yearly avg
transpiration
14” evapo-
13.5” groundwater
(infiltration)
0.1” runoff
9.5” interflow
(infiltration)

30. 37” rainfall
Reduced yearly avg
reduced evapo-
infiltration transpiration
35” runoff
2” evapo-
transpiration
(infiltration)
0” baseflow
The Water Balance Model
Water Quantity After

31. Impervious Surfaces
A Watershed Perspective

32. The Water Balance Model
Water Quality Before
Some sediment

33. The Water Balance Model
Water Quality After
Sediment (air particulates)
Feces
Other debris
Sediment/turbidity
Hydrocarbons
Heavy metals
Other chemicals
Sediment/turbidity
fertilizers
pesticides
herbicides

34. Non-structural BMPs
Save a Tree
Courtesy of Fortis Construction

35. Non-structural BMPs
Reduce impervious surfaces

36. Non-structural BMPs
Limit Disturbance

37. Non-structural BMPs
Conservation Development
Oleson Woods Apartments
in Tigard, OR
“The Primrose” in Texas Hill Country

38. Structural BMPs
Overland Flow/Daylighting

39. Impervious Surfaces
A Watershed Perspective

40. Structural BMPs
Infiltration and Water Quality
SW Wet-
Pollutant Infiltration land Wet Pond Filtering WQ Swale Dry Pond
Total Phosphorus 70 49 51 59 34 19
Soluble Phosphorus 85 35 66 3 38 -6
Total Nitrogen 51 30 33 38 84 25
Nitrate 82 67 43 -14 31 4
Copper N/A 40 57 49 51 26
Zinc 99 44 66 88 71 26
Total Suspended 95 76 80 86 81 47
Solids
Water quality benefits of infiltration techniques from the “National Pollutant Removal Performance Database for Stormwater Treatment
Practices” Center for Watershed Protection, June 2000

41. Structural BMPs
Pervious surfaces, types
Courtesy of MGH Associates
Courtesy of Fortis Construction

42. Structural BMPs
Pervious surfaces, myth or reality?
• Look ma! No runoff!

43. Structural BMPs
Pervious surfaces, benefits
Courtesy of Cahill Associates
3”
POROUS ASPHALT IN 1- 2” LIFT
3/ ”–5/ ” WASHED CRUSHED AGGREGATE
9”
8 8
NON-WOVEN PROPYLENE GEOTEXTILE
UNCOMPACTED SUBGRADE

44. Green Girl Motto
“Sustainable design isn’t about doing something neat, it’s about doing something right.”

45. Structural BMPs
Veg infil facilities

46. Structural BMPs
Underground infiltration facilities

47. Non-structural BMPs
Source Control
RELATIONSHIP OF FISH
ACTIVITY TO TURBIDITY
TURBIDITY (LOG 10)
TIME (LOG 10)

48. Structural BMPs
Source Control in Construction
Photo excerpted from “BMPs for
Stormwater Discharges Associated
with Construction Activities”, DEQ,
Feb 2006

49. Structural BMPs
Source Control in Construction
Photos and study and text excerpted from “BMPs for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Construction Activities”, DEQ, Feb 2006

50. Non-structural BMPs
Source Control Post Construction

51. Non-Structural BMPs
Have fun

52. Incentives & Certifications
• Portland’s Clean River Rewards • Salmon Safe
• BETC • Cascadia GBC Living Building
Challenge
• Earth Advantage Sustainable
Communities
• USGBC LEED
• HBA Build-It Green
• ASLA Sustainable Sites (future)

53. Thank You!
Sustainable design isn’t about doing something neat, it’s about doing something right.