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Ecosystem services and U.S. stormwater planning: An approach for improving urban stormwater decisions

Publication ,  Journal Article
BenDor, TK; Shandas, V; Miles, B; Belt, K; Olander, L
Published in: Environmental Science and Policy
October 1, 2018

Green stormwater infrastructure (GI) is gaining traction as a viable complement to traditional “gray” infrastructure in cities across the United States. As cities struggle with decisions to replace deteriorating stormwater infrastructure in the face of looming issues such as population growth and climate change, GI may offer a cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable approach. However, decision makers confront challenges when integrating GI within city plans, including uncertainties around GI capacity and maintenance, resistance to collaboration across city governance, increasingly inflexible financing, accounting practices that do not incorporate the multiple values of GI, and difficulties in incorporating ecological infrastructure into stormwater management. This paper presents an ecosystem services framework for assessing the context-specific needs of decision makers, while considering the strengths and limitations of GI use in urban stormwater management. We describe multiple dimensions of the planning system, identify points of intervention, and illustrate two applications of our framework – Durham, North Carolina and Portland, Oregon (USA). In these case studies, we apply our ecosystem services framework to explicitly consider tradeoffs to assist planning professionals who are considering implementation of GI. We conclude by offering a research agenda that explores opportunities for further evaluations of GI design, implementation, and maintenance in cities.

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Published In

Environmental Science and Policy

DOI

EISSN

1873-6416

ISSN

1462-9011

Publication Date

October 1, 2018

Volume

88

Start / End Page

92 / 103

Related Subject Headings

  • Environmental Sciences
  • 44 Human society
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
  • 16 Studies in Human Society
  • 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences
 

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BenDor, T. K., Shandas, V., Miles, B., Belt, K., & Olander, L. (2018). Ecosystem services and U.S. stormwater planning: An approach for improving urban stormwater decisions. Environmental Science and Policy, 88, 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.06.006
BenDor, T. K., V. Shandas, B. Miles, K. Belt, and L. Olander. “Ecosystem services and U.S. stormwater planning: An approach for improving urban stormwater decisions.” Environmental Science and Policy 88 (October 1, 2018): 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.06.006.
BenDor TK, Shandas V, Miles B, Belt K, Olander L. Ecosystem services and U.S. stormwater planning: An approach for improving urban stormwater decisions. Environmental Science and Policy. 2018 Oct 1;88:92–103.
BenDor, T. K., et al. “Ecosystem services and U.S. stormwater planning: An approach for improving urban stormwater decisions.” Environmental Science and Policy, vol. 88, Oct. 2018, pp. 92–103. Scopus, doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2018.06.006.
BenDor TK, Shandas V, Miles B, Belt K, Olander L. Ecosystem services and U.S. stormwater planning: An approach for improving urban stormwater decisions. Environmental Science and Policy. 2018 Oct 1;88:92–103.
Journal cover image

Published In

Environmental Science and Policy

DOI

EISSN

1873-6416

ISSN

1462-9011

Publication Date

October 1, 2018

Volume

88

Start / End Page

92 / 103

Related Subject Headings

  • Environmental Sciences
  • 44 Human society
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
  • 16 Studies in Human Society
  • 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences