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Urban Low-Impact Development - Pacific Northwest
On
a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest, Chris Sonne had the opportunity
to meet with several leading innovators in the area of urban stormwater design. Cities visited included Portland, OR; Olympia, WA; and Seattle, WA.
Each of these places had a unique innovative approach to urban
stormwater design. Click on the city pictures below for more information on
each!
Olympia, WA
Portland, OR
Seattle, WA
Low-Impact Design & Development There are numerous design resources available concerning Low-Impact Design & Development. Most of these resources may be accessed via The Low Impact Development Center, Inc. website. Information available includes listing of various design manuals, case studies, BMP information, and more. Another great series of technical design and O&M guidelines are the currently proposed non-proprietary BMPs for the state of Virginia.
Another great source of information is the EPA Green Infrastructure website, which has downloadable versions of webcasts on various stormwater design aspects, among many other useful resources.
SUSTAINABLE SITES INITIATIVE (SITES) Developed by the American Society for Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the US Botanical Garden, the SITES program provides a framework for sustainable, multi-function site designs. This site certification program is currently in the pilot phase, but the 2009 Guidelines are currently available as a free download, and provide some excellent design practices, O&M recommendations and reference materials for anyone interested in improving the form and funciton of landscapes and other outdoor spaces.
LEED The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program is a third-party certification program and nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. This program is admistered by the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit organization.
EarthCraft House EarthCraft House Virginia is similar to LEED (independently verified program promoting green building design principles and materials with a point-based rating system), although this program is specific to residential construction (single and multi-family).
Sustainable Design & Building The U.S. Department of Energy Sustainable Design & Operations Division has a useful resource page. Although much of the information is directed towards large Federal contract projects, there are also other useful links on a broad range of sustainability related topics.
