Stormwater Management
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.
How Green Schoolyards Benefit Kids, Cities, and the Climate
Transforming asphalt schoolyards into green spaces with porous surfaces can improve the well-being of students and neighbors and contribute to more effective stormwater management in urban areas.
New Green Development Rules Take Effect in Austin
The city updated its development code to include more robust protection for local wetlands and stricter sustainable stormwater infrastructure requirements.
Boston Unveils Green Infrastructure Plan
The city will start by redesigning curb extensions to incorporate elements that improve flood prevention and stormwater management.
Wastewater System Upgrade Plans Already Out of Date
Some Midwest cities' plans to upgrade decades-old sewer systems rely on outdated rainfall predictions as flood risks grow due to climate change and shifting weather patterns.
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.
Major Redevelopment Planned for Gwinnett County, Georgia
City leaders in Norcross, Georgia approved a plan that would bring new housing, retail, and parks to a 'long-neglected' stretch of highway.
Federal Dollars Could Pave the Way for Greener, More Equitable Infrastructure
Houston's director of Transportation and Drainage Operations wants to see more sustainable development in the city that has historically depended on freeways as its critical infrastructure.
Permeable Pavements Required for Parking, Sidewalks in New Orleans
New Orleans is looking for new ways to mitigate the effects of stormwater that regularly floods the city.
New Orleans Convent to Become Large Urban Wetland
Hurricane Katrina damaged a Catholic convent in New Orleans. Then the nuns spearheaded a project to transform the land into a wetland area that will protect the city from flooding in the future.
Leaving Flood-Prone Area Free of Development Would Save Billions, Study Says
It makes more fiscal sense to buy flood-prone land and conserve it than to cover the costs of the damages to developments, according to researchers from the University of Bristol and other institutions.
Vancouver, Rain City
Vancouver has committed to green stormwater infrastructure by approving a Rain City Strategy that establishes an Integrated Stormwater Management Plan for each watershed in the city.
Los Angeles Wants its River Back From the Feds
Regional officials don't think the federal government is doing enough to warrant continued ownership of the Los Angeles River flood control channels that cut a 40-mile path through the city and county.
Wanted: A More Proactive Approach to Stormwater Investment
As hurricane seasons get more destructive, a less reactionary approach to stormwater infrastructure investment may be needed.
Pittsburgh Ties Stormwater Management to Transportation
Residents are weighing a much-needed flood-control system alongside a more controversial shuttle service.
Friday Funny: Adopt a Drain, Name a Drain
This is the first and only time you will be actively encouraged to get your mind into the gutter.
Houston's Latest Stormwater Project: 'Massive, Underground Tunnels'
The most recent post-Harvey proposal would mean the city could endure enormous rain events, but so far it's not clear who would pay for it.
Minnesota Offers Models for Stormwater Management
Reflecting its reputation as the land of 10,000 lakes, Minnesota's highly developed water management infrastructure can be instructive for states facing frequent floods.
Adapting Combined Sewer-Stormwater Systems to Climate Change
Only one coastal city has a sewer system that must handle stormwater as well as wastewater. San Francisco's efforts to adapt its combined sewer-stormwater system has put it on the vanguard of the city's climate adaptation efforts.
Houston's Drainage Problem
Houston received over 50 inches of rain from Hurricane Harvey in five days. While no city could survive that drenching unscathed, Houston was not prepared to handle the floods due to decades of neglect of stormwater management planning.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
City of Orange
City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
City of Lomita
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.
