Stormwater

Green alley under construction

Green Alleys: A New Paradigm for Stormwater Management

Rather than shuttling stormwater away from the city and into the ocean as quickly as possible, Los Angeles is now—slowly—moving toward a ‘city-as-sponge’ approach that would capture and reclaim more water to recharge crucial reservoirs.

February 2, 2023 - Curbed

View of Los Angeles River at Glendale Narrows segment with tree and overpass

Downpours Yield 33 Billion Gallons of Captured Stormwater in L.A. County

County officials hope reclamation efforts will help the region reduce its dependence on imported water supplies.

January 19, 2023 - ABC7

The Pearl River floods with brown near downtown Jackson, Mississippi.

Costs to Fix Jackson's Water System Estimated at $1 Billion

Planning and funding are both in dire need in Jackson, Mississippi. The question is who should be in charge of all the planning and funding.

September 28, 2022 - Mississippi Free Press

The Pearl River floods with brown near downtown Jackson, Mississippi.

Water Supply Failure in Jackson, Mississippi

A catastrophic failure of the water supply in Jackson is leaving state and local officials scrambling to deliver clean water to some 180,000 residents of the state’s capital.

August 30, 2022 - Mississippi Free Press

Flooding at the Whitehall Street station, New York

New York City Plans To Boost Resilience Against Floods

How the city is taking action on green infrastructure and stormwater projects to protect neighborhoods from the rising risk of catastrophic flooding.

April 17, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Wastewater California

Wastewater System Upgrade Plans Already Out of Date

Some Midwest cities' plans to upgrade decades-old sewer systems rely on outdated rainfall predictions as flood risks grow due to climate change and shifting weather patterns.

March 10, 2022 - Grist

U.S. Capital

The Lesser-Known Programs in the Infrastructure Bill

While the focus has been on flashier components of the infrastructure bill, some smaller initiatives could have outsized impacts by shifting priorities and funding resilience efforts.

January 23, 2022 - Governing

The Colorado River is flooded with brown water with the skyline of Austin, Texas in the background.

New Stormwater Resilience Measures Approved in Austin

The Austin City Council adopted the latest in a series of measures intended to improve the city's stormwater resilience after experiencing repeated flooding events in the past decade.

October 20, 2021 - Austin Monitor

An illustration of rain clouds gathered over the U.S. Midwest, with the city of Detroit called out on the map.

Flooding in the Midwest Shows There's No Refuge From Climate Change

While projections say areas of the U.S. Midwest around the Great Lakes will become more hospitable as the climate changes, stormwater and flooding is still a challenge in a surprising number of locations.

September 16, 2021 - Yahoo News

Texas Flood

Are Tall Buildings Safer When It Floods?

Conventional wisdom is that the most resilient city is that keeps high-density housing out of flood zones. But if flooding can happen miles inland, is that still true?

September 13, 2021 - Michael Lewyn

New York politicians, including Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio, gather in front of microphones for a press conference.

New Light on Basement Apartments in NYC After Ida's Tragedies

Basement apartments were the least safe place to be as the remnants of Hurricane Ida sent floodwaters ripping through the Northeast.

September 8, 2021 - The New York Times

A sign indicates closures on the New York Subway as the result of heavy rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

Ida Takes a Deadly Toll in the Northeast

Hurricane Ida passed through New Orleans, knocking out power causing extensive damage along the Gulf Coast. Then it moved to the Northeast, killing dozens of people with flooding caused by heavy rains.

September 3, 2021 - New York Post

Sea Level

The Changing Risks of Coastal Communities

An excerpt from "A Blueprint for Coastal Adaptation: Uniting Design, Economics, and Policy," published in May by Island Press.

June 17, 2021 - Carolyn Kousky

Stormwater

Cars Pollute in More Ways Than One

Tires wear down and shed toxic microplastics into stormwater, which eventually ends up in rivers and the ocean. Recent research sheds new light on the extent of the damage.

December 1, 2020 - Hakai Magazine

Rendering

How Peoria Is Putting Green Infrastructure to Work

Peoria's new stormwater farm takes the pressure off its outdated combined sewer system. It's part of a larger effort by the city to align green infrastructure with social equity goals.

December 12, 2019 - Next City

Climate Change and Flooding

Sea-Level Rise Would Be Worse for Coastal Cities Than Previously Thought

A new model for expected sea-level rise raises alarms about the need to adapt to sea-level rise in coastal cities all over the world.

November 5, 2019 - The New York Times

Cedar Rapids Floods

The Great Flood of 2019, Visualized

The New York Times has published a spectacular mapping and data project to show the extent of flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the winter, spring, and summer of 2019.

September 16, 2019 - The New York Times

Echo Park

L.A. Unveils Plans for Historic Water Infrastructure Tax

Katy Young Yaroslavsky discusses the the Measure W Implementation Ordinance and the committee appointees tasked with determining how this new funding will flow into community water projects.

September 15, 2019 - The Planning Report

Extreme Weather

Funding Research of Atmospheric Rivers to Better Prepare for Heavy Rains

Atmospheric river seems like a phrase that has only recently entered the parlance of the times, but the state of California has seen enough of the idea in action want to know more, and prepare for more.

July 12, 2019 - Water News Network

Charles River

Urban Rivers Everywhere Follow the Cuyahoga's Lead

On the 50th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River catching fire in Cleveland, it's a good time for urban river keepers everywhere to reevaluate their work and redouble their efforts to make safe and healthy rivers for everyone.

July 10, 2019 - The Boston Globe

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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