Most harmful stormwater originates on private property, and public agencies are looking for ways to entice property owners to implement more effective infrastructure.
Shanyn Viars provides an explainer post on the challenges and benefits of stormwater infrastructure, before detailing an incentive program for private property owners to invest in green stormwater infrastructure to reduce infrastructure and risk management costs for municipalities.
Viars examines a case study from the Great Lakes region as a "how-to guide" for stormwater credits program:
With the support of the Great Lakes Protection Fund, Stormwater Currency and the City of Grand Rapids explored a market-based approach that creates incentivizes for private property owners to choose green infrastructure approaches for managing their stormwater. We sought solutions that harness the economic advantages of a market to fund green infrastructure on private property, reducing costs to the developers and the City’s. Our solution, Stormwater Credit Trading, allows private property owners who need to comply with stormwater regulations to “purchase” volume “credits” from other property owners that are not subjected to or have exceeded their requirements.
For more information, American Rivers and those collaborators completed a guide to stormwater credits, aptly titled "Establishing a Stormwater Volume Credit Trading Program."
FULL STORY: How-To Guide for Stormwater Credit Trading
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
The Paradox of American Housing
How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan
Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.
How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities
Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.
Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing
Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.