Green Infrastructure as a climate change mitigation strategy: quantification of environmental & economic benefits for the City of Somerville
Article Sidebar
Published:
Jul 3, 2020
Keywords:
Green Infrastructure, Sustainability, Best Management Practice, Tools and Techniques, Quantifications
Main Article Content
Abstract
The growing awareness of the negative impact of human activities on climate has led to adopt territorial adaptation and mitigation policies. Strategies capable of coping with increasingly extreme and sudden negative impacts make their way into the scenario of territorial planning, which focus on choices that create more resilient cities. A suitable strategy for this new approach to territorial planning includes green infrastructure a multifunctional tool designed to mitigate impacts of climate change and to intervene on "urban waste" and dismiss places to re-naturalize and make them more inclusive. The paper examines the innovative scenario of the Inner Core in Boston, Massachusetts, exploring the policies of the city of Somerville, which focus on the implementation of green infrastructure to provide multiple benefits.
Former industrialized area of Somerville, the Inner Belt is one of the settlements most exposed to the climate crisis and particularly weak territorial context from a social, economic, and political point of view. The evidence of a settlement that "ceded to environmental blackmail" in exchange for jobs, required a procedural approach by rethinking the area in a strategic perspective capable of combining the needs of the community with adaptation to change. The Inner Belt was thus reconsidered as a hub (system of places), that is, as an integral part of the new vision of a green infrastructure network for the city of Somerville and an urban area of planning emergency in the re-composition and identity re-appropriation of its widespread and pervasive waterproofed spaces. This choice highlighted the importance of the local scale in the process of redesigning the public space and forgotten places in the evolution of green infrastructure. This study analyzes and quantify the environmental and economic benefits provided by the green infrastructure, demonstrating the effectiveness of the adoption of this multi-functional strategy.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Article Details
How to Cite
CiociS., EckelmanM. J., & Onnis-HaydenA. (2020). Green Infrastructure as a climate change mitigation strategy: quantification of environmental & economic benefits for the City of Somerville. UPLanD - Journal of Urban Planning, Landscape & Environmental Design, 5(2), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.6093/2531-9906/7037
Issue
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2020 Silvia Cioci, Matthew J. Eckelman, Annalisa Onnis-Hayden
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
References
Acierno, A. (2012). Il Piano per l’Infrastruttura Verde di Londra e la gestione della Olympic Park Legacy. TRIA : Territorio Della Ricerca Su Insediamenti e Ambiente, (9), 155–166. doi: 10.6092/2281-4574/1342
Adkins, J., Allen, T., Cary-Kothera, L., Cofer-Shabica, N., Harper, D., Tanimoto, J., Scott, L. (2015). A Guide to Assessing Green Infrastructure Costs and Benefits for Flood Reduction Acknowledgments The project team consisted of. Retrieved from: www.coast.noaa.gov
Baró, F., Chaparro, L., Gómez-Baggethun, E., Langemeyer, J., Nowak, D. J., & Terradas, J. (2014). Contribution of ecosystem services to air quality and climate change mitigation policies: The case of urban forests in Barcelona, Spain. Ambio, 43(4), 466–479. doi: 10.1007/s13280-014-0507-x
Bendt, P., Barthel, S., & Colding, J. (2013). Civic greening and environmental learning in public-access community gardens in Berlin. Landscape and Urban Planning, 109(1), 18–30. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.10.003
Benedict, M. A., & McMahon, E. T. (2006). Green Infrastructure. Strategic Green Infrastructure Planning, 1–289. doi: 10.5822/978-1-61091-693-6_1
Benedict, M. E., & McMahon, J. D. (2002). Green Infrastructure: Smart Conservation for the 21st Century Infrastructure-the substructure or underlying foundation…on which the continuance and growth of a community or state depends. Renewable Resources Journal2, 20(3).
Canzonieri, C. (2007). M.E. Benedict and E.T. McMahon, Green Infrastructure: Linking Landscapes and Communities. Landscape Ecology, 22(5), 797–798. doi: 10.1007/s10980-006-9045-7
CCVA. (2017). Somerville Climate Forward.
Chen, Jim and. (2008). Ecosystem services and monetary values of urban forests in China. Cities, 9, 21.
Chen, Jingqiu, Liu, Y., Gitau, M. W., Engel, B. A., Flanagan, D. C., & Harbor, J. M. (2019). Evaluation of the effectiveness of green infrastructure on hydrology and water quality in a combined sewer overflow community. Science of the Total Environment, 665, 69–79. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.416
Cole, S., & Waller, D. (2015). NASA releases detailed global climate change projections. Nasa.
Community Development Department, C. (2019). CCPR Alewife - Appendix B - GI analysis and UHI modeling - Cambridge Massachusetts.
Douglas, I. (2012). Urban ecology and urban ecosystems: Understanding the links to human health and well-being. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. doi: 10.1016/j.cosust.2012.07.005
Elmqvist, T., Setälä, H., Handel, S. N., van der Ploeg, S., Aronson, J., Blignaut, J. N., … de Groot, R. (2015). Benefits of restoring ecosystem services in urban areas. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. doi: 10.1016/j.cosust.2015.05.001
EPA, U. (2017). Best Practices for Green Infrastructure O&M. Retrieved July 26, 2019, from: https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/best-practices-green-infrastructure-om
Ernstson, H. (2013). The social production of ecosystem services: A framework for studying environmental justice and ecological complexity in urbanized landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning, 109(1), 7–17. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.10.005
Escobedo, F. J., Kroeger, T., & Wagner, J. E. (2011). Urban forests and pollution mitigation: Analyzing ecosystem services and disservices. Environmental Pollution. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.01.010
Escobedo, F. J., Wagner, J. E., Nowak, D. J., De la Maza, C. L., Rodriguez, M., & Crane, D. E. (2008). Analyzing the cost effectiveness of Santiago, Chile’s policy of using urban forests to improve air quality. Journal of Environmental Management, 86(1), 148–157. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.11.029
Gallet, D. (2012). The Value of Green Infrastructure: A Guide to Recognizing Its Economic, Environmental and Social Benefits. Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation, 2011(17), 924–928. doi: 10.2175/193864711802639741
Gambino, R. (2003). Progetto e conservazione del paesaggio. Ri-Vista - Ricerche Per La Progettazione Del Paesaggio, 1, 1–15. doi: 10.13128/RV-17542
Gasparrini, C. (2017). Biennale dello Spazio Pubblico 2017 Workshop organizzato dall’INU Introduzione le IInfrastrutture verdi e blu nel progetto della città contemporanea.
Gill, S. E., Handley, J. F., Ennos, A. R., & Pauleit, S. (2007). Adapting cities for climate change: The role of the green infrastructure. Built Environment, 33(1), 115–133. doi: 10.2148/benv.33.1.115
Gómez-Baggethun, E., Gren, Å., Barton, D. N., Langemeyer, J., McPhearson, T., O’farrell, P., Kremer, P. (2013). Urban ecosystem services. In Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities: A Global Assessment (pp. 175–251). Cham, CH: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-7088-1_11
Hedenås, H., Olsson, H., Jonasson, C., Bergstedt, J., Dahlberg, U., & Callaghan, T. V. (2011, September). Changes in tree growth, biomass and vegetation over a 13-year period in the Swedish sub-Arctic. Ambio. doi: 10.1007/s13280-011-0173-1
Hubacek, K., & Kronenberg, J. (2013). Synthesizing different perspectives on the value of urban ecosystem services. Landscape and Urban Planning, 109(1), 1–6. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.10.010
Hudson County, N. J. (2014). Low Impact Development/ Green Infrastructure / Best Management Practice For Sustainable Stormwater Management Hudson County Planning Board.
IPCC. (2014). Summary for Policymakers, In: Climate Change 2014, Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. doi: 10.1017/CBO9781107415324
Malcevschi, S., & Bisogni, G. L. (2016). Green Infrastructures and ecological reconstruction in urban and peri-urban areas. TECHNE, 11, 33–39. doi: 10.13128/Techne-18398
Mesimäki, M., Hauru, K., & Lehvävirta, S. (2019). Do small green roofs have the possibility to offer recreational and experiential benefits in a dense urban area? A case study in Helsinki, Finland. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 40, 114–124. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2018.10.005
Mirzaei, P. A., & Haghighat, F. (2010). Approaches to study Urban Heat Island - Abilities and limitations. Building and Environment. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2010.04.001
MORPC, M. O. R. P. C. (2015). Green Infrastructure Best Management Practices Bioswales Creek Restoration Green Roofs Open Space Permeable Pavements Planter Boxes Rain Gardens Retention Ponds Street Trees Underground Storage.
Morris, D., & St. Martin, D. (2008). Somerville, Massachusetts : a brief history. History Press.
Pataki, D. E., Carreiro, M. M., Cherrier, J., Grulke, N. E., Jennings, V., Pincetl, S., … Zipperer, W. C. (2011). Coupling biogeochemical cycles in urban environments: Ecosystem services, green solutions, and misconceptions. In Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (Vol. 9, pp. 27–36). doi: 10.1890/090220
Solecki, W., & Marcotullio, P. J. (2013). Climate change and urban biodiversity vulnerability. In Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities: A Global Assessment (pp. 485–504). doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-7088-1_25
Somerville, C. (2012). SomerVision Plan. Sullivan, W. C., & Kuo, F. E. (1996). Do trees strengthen urban communities, reduce domestic violence? / written by W.C. Sullivan & F.E. Kuo. Evanston Ill.: Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Urban Forestry Center for the Midwestern States.
Takano, T., Nakamura, K., & Watanabe, M. (2002). Urban residential environments and senior citizens’ longevity in megacity areas: The importance of walkable green spaces. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 56(12), 913–918. doi: 10.1136/jech.56.12.913
Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420–421. doi: 10.1126/science.6143402
United States Environmental Protection Agency - Clean Water State Revolving Fund. (2015). Financing Green Infrastructure: A Best Practices Guide for the Clean Water State
US EPA. (2014). The Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure A Case Study of Lancaster, PA About the Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance Program. Retrieved from: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/gi_support.cfm.
Adkins, J., Allen, T., Cary-Kothera, L., Cofer-Shabica, N., Harper, D., Tanimoto, J., Scott, L. (2015). A Guide to Assessing Green Infrastructure Costs and Benefits for Flood Reduction Acknowledgments The project team consisted of. Retrieved from: www.coast.noaa.gov
Baró, F., Chaparro, L., Gómez-Baggethun, E., Langemeyer, J., Nowak, D. J., & Terradas, J. (2014). Contribution of ecosystem services to air quality and climate change mitigation policies: The case of urban forests in Barcelona, Spain. Ambio, 43(4), 466–479. doi: 10.1007/s13280-014-0507-x
Bendt, P., Barthel, S., & Colding, J. (2013). Civic greening and environmental learning in public-access community gardens in Berlin. Landscape and Urban Planning, 109(1), 18–30. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.10.003
Benedict, M. A., & McMahon, E. T. (2006). Green Infrastructure. Strategic Green Infrastructure Planning, 1–289. doi: 10.5822/978-1-61091-693-6_1
Benedict, M. E., & McMahon, J. D. (2002). Green Infrastructure: Smart Conservation for the 21st Century Infrastructure-the substructure or underlying foundation…on which the continuance and growth of a community or state depends. Renewable Resources Journal2, 20(3).
Canzonieri, C. (2007). M.E. Benedict and E.T. McMahon, Green Infrastructure: Linking Landscapes and Communities. Landscape Ecology, 22(5), 797–798. doi: 10.1007/s10980-006-9045-7
CCVA. (2017). Somerville Climate Forward.
Chen, Jim and. (2008). Ecosystem services and monetary values of urban forests in China. Cities, 9, 21.
Chen, Jingqiu, Liu, Y., Gitau, M. W., Engel, B. A., Flanagan, D. C., & Harbor, J. M. (2019). Evaluation of the effectiveness of green infrastructure on hydrology and water quality in a combined sewer overflow community. Science of the Total Environment, 665, 69–79. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.416
Cole, S., & Waller, D. (2015). NASA releases detailed global climate change projections. Nasa.
Community Development Department, C. (2019). CCPR Alewife - Appendix B - GI analysis and UHI modeling - Cambridge Massachusetts.
Douglas, I. (2012). Urban ecology and urban ecosystems: Understanding the links to human health and well-being. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. doi: 10.1016/j.cosust.2012.07.005
Elmqvist, T., Setälä, H., Handel, S. N., van der Ploeg, S., Aronson, J., Blignaut, J. N., … de Groot, R. (2015). Benefits of restoring ecosystem services in urban areas. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. doi: 10.1016/j.cosust.2015.05.001
EPA, U. (2017). Best Practices for Green Infrastructure O&M. Retrieved July 26, 2019, from: https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/best-practices-green-infrastructure-om
Ernstson, H. (2013). The social production of ecosystem services: A framework for studying environmental justice and ecological complexity in urbanized landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning, 109(1), 7–17. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.10.005
Escobedo, F. J., Kroeger, T., & Wagner, J. E. (2011). Urban forests and pollution mitigation: Analyzing ecosystem services and disservices. Environmental Pollution. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.01.010
Escobedo, F. J., Wagner, J. E., Nowak, D. J., De la Maza, C. L., Rodriguez, M., & Crane, D. E. (2008). Analyzing the cost effectiveness of Santiago, Chile’s policy of using urban forests to improve air quality. Journal of Environmental Management, 86(1), 148–157. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.11.029
Gallet, D. (2012). The Value of Green Infrastructure: A Guide to Recognizing Its Economic, Environmental and Social Benefits. Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation, 2011(17), 924–928. doi: 10.2175/193864711802639741
Gambino, R. (2003). Progetto e conservazione del paesaggio. Ri-Vista - Ricerche Per La Progettazione Del Paesaggio, 1, 1–15. doi: 10.13128/RV-17542
Gasparrini, C. (2017). Biennale dello Spazio Pubblico 2017 Workshop organizzato dall’INU Introduzione le IInfrastrutture verdi e blu nel progetto della città contemporanea.
Gill, S. E., Handley, J. F., Ennos, A. R., & Pauleit, S. (2007). Adapting cities for climate change: The role of the green infrastructure. Built Environment, 33(1), 115–133. doi: 10.2148/benv.33.1.115
Gómez-Baggethun, E., Gren, Å., Barton, D. N., Langemeyer, J., McPhearson, T., O’farrell, P., Kremer, P. (2013). Urban ecosystem services. In Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities: A Global Assessment (pp. 175–251). Cham, CH: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-7088-1_11
Hedenås, H., Olsson, H., Jonasson, C., Bergstedt, J., Dahlberg, U., & Callaghan, T. V. (2011, September). Changes in tree growth, biomass and vegetation over a 13-year period in the Swedish sub-Arctic. Ambio. doi: 10.1007/s13280-011-0173-1
Hubacek, K., & Kronenberg, J. (2013). Synthesizing different perspectives on the value of urban ecosystem services. Landscape and Urban Planning, 109(1), 1–6. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.10.010
Hudson County, N. J. (2014). Low Impact Development/ Green Infrastructure / Best Management Practice For Sustainable Stormwater Management Hudson County Planning Board.
IPCC. (2014). Summary for Policymakers, In: Climate Change 2014, Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. doi: 10.1017/CBO9781107415324
Malcevschi, S., & Bisogni, G. L. (2016). Green Infrastructures and ecological reconstruction in urban and peri-urban areas. TECHNE, 11, 33–39. doi: 10.13128/Techne-18398
Mesimäki, M., Hauru, K., & Lehvävirta, S. (2019). Do small green roofs have the possibility to offer recreational and experiential benefits in a dense urban area? A case study in Helsinki, Finland. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 40, 114–124. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2018.10.005
Mirzaei, P. A., & Haghighat, F. (2010). Approaches to study Urban Heat Island - Abilities and limitations. Building and Environment. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2010.04.001
MORPC, M. O. R. P. C. (2015). Green Infrastructure Best Management Practices Bioswales Creek Restoration Green Roofs Open Space Permeable Pavements Planter Boxes Rain Gardens Retention Ponds Street Trees Underground Storage.
Morris, D., & St. Martin, D. (2008). Somerville, Massachusetts : a brief history. History Press.
Pataki, D. E., Carreiro, M. M., Cherrier, J., Grulke, N. E., Jennings, V., Pincetl, S., … Zipperer, W. C. (2011). Coupling biogeochemical cycles in urban environments: Ecosystem services, green solutions, and misconceptions. In Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (Vol. 9, pp. 27–36). doi: 10.1890/090220
Solecki, W., & Marcotullio, P. J. (2013). Climate change and urban biodiversity vulnerability. In Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities: A Global Assessment (pp. 485–504). doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-7088-1_25
Somerville, C. (2012). SomerVision Plan. Sullivan, W. C., & Kuo, F. E. (1996). Do trees strengthen urban communities, reduce domestic violence? / written by W.C. Sullivan & F.E. Kuo. Evanston Ill.: Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Urban Forestry Center for the Midwestern States.
Takano, T., Nakamura, K., & Watanabe, M. (2002). Urban residential environments and senior citizens’ longevity in megacity areas: The importance of walkable green spaces. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 56(12), 913–918. doi: 10.1136/jech.56.12.913
Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420–421. doi: 10.1126/science.6143402
United States Environmental Protection Agency - Clean Water State Revolving Fund. (2015). Financing Green Infrastructure: A Best Practices Guide for the Clean Water State
US EPA. (2014). The Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure A Case Study of Lancaster, PA About the Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance Program. Retrieved from: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/gi_support.cfm.