The Green Infrastructure Toolkit lists 25 actions local governments can take to transform crusty, impermeable urban landscapes into vibrant, spongy ecosystems that preserve water as a resource and protect against its potential destruction in floods.
Every community is faced with managing the potential impacts of extreme weather events, especially in an era in which those events are increasing in both frequency and intensity. To prepare for the challenges ahead, neighborhoods, towns, and regions need proven strategies for not just surviving threats, but for assuring long-term resilience. And key goals for those strategies should include approaches that preserve and leverage natural systems of protection.
In honor of World Water Day 2023 today, Hazel Borys and co-authors Kaid Benfield, Scott Bernstein, Paul Crabtree, Bruce Donnelly, Scott Doyon, Susan Henderson, Steve Mouzon, Milt Rhodes, and Colleen Sklar launched the Green Infrastructure Toolkit, which contains strategies for preserving protective ecosystems, addressing urban heat islands, and building resilience into long-term planning.
Borys says, "We’re excited to see the positive impact that green infrastructure can have on our communities. By working together and sharing our experiences, we can make a lasting difference for future generations. Let’s get spongy!"
FULL STORY: Green Infrastructure: Let’s get spongy!
A Sustainable Future for LA: Updating the OurCounty Plan
Los Angeles County is updating its Sustainability Plan to refine its vision for climate action, environmental justice, and community well-being, with residents encouraged to participate by taking the OurCounty 2025 Update Community Survey.
How US Communities Are Building Resilience Against Flooding
Flooding causes over $400 billion in damage in the United States every year.
How Capturing Rainwater Can Make Cities Safer, More Resilient
Green infrastructure can help prevent flooding and replenish groundwater supplies, preventing subsidence that makes land sink.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research