Changing the Narrative: Tools and Applied Approaches to Mainstream Green Infrastructure (GI) in the Built Environment 2022 Florida Planning Conference – The Game Has SeptemberChanged 7, 2022
Dr. Christianah Oyenuga, The Nature Conservancy - Greenprints and Green Stormwater Infrastructure Photo Library
Dr. Eban Bean, University of Florida Institute for Food & Agricultural Sciences (UF IFAS) - Low Impact Development and Green Stormwater Infrastructure Manual and Code Audit Tool
(2:40-3:40 p.m.)
Lesley Bertolotti, The Nature Conservancy –Green Infrastructure Overview
Claire Lewis, UF IFAS - Florida-Friendly Communities Training Programs
Jennison Kipp, UF IFAS - Sustainable Floridian’s BMP Program
Part I: Presenters
Part II: Panelists (4:00-5:00 p.m.) Christina Hite, FASLA, PLA, LEEDAP, - President & CEO of Dix-Hite + Partners, Inc. Leslie McLendon, AICP, Planner Growth Management, Alachua County
What
is Green Infrastructure? United Nations Environment Programme Partnership: Natural or semi-natural systems that provide services for water resources management with equivalent or similar benefits to conventional (built) “grey” infrastructure.water“ Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2019: "the range of measures that use plant or soil systems, permeable pavement or other permeable surfaces or substrates, stormwater harvest and reuse, or landscaping to store, infiltrate, or evapotranspirate stormwater and reduce flows to sewer systems or to surface waters."
Green Infrastructure do?
Increases Flood and Drought Resilience ProtectsSuppliesWater Reduce Urban Heat Islands ReducesDemandEnergy Protect our Shorelines Provides Space for Nature Amenities & Places to Recreate Improve Human Health & Well-being
What does
Lack of Green Infrastructure maintenanceknowledge Insufficient InfrastructureInequitiesInfrastructureGreendesigndetailsrelatedtoGreen Not FloridaenoughspecificGreenInfrastructureexamples InfrastructureawaymindsetsShiftingfromgraychallengesRegulatoryandbarrierstoGreenInfrastructure BARRIERS
Statewide LID+GSI Manual & Code Audit Tools September 7, 2022 Eban Z. Bean, PhD, PE Asst. Professor & Ext. Specialist Urban Water Resources Engineering Agricultural & Biological Engineering, UF|IFAS
Avoidance (LID) • Map natural infrastructure • Preserve open spaces & natural resources • Retain hydrologicnaturalfeatures Minimization (LID) • Limit and imperviousdisconnectsurfaces • Mimic and maximize hydrologicpre-developmentprocesses Mitigation (GSI) • Implement runoff source measurescontrol • Employ stormwaterandprocessesnaturaltotreatretain LID vs. GSI: Development Process
Needs Assessment: Designs and Regulations Guidance Manual: • Decision Makers • Designers and Codes,EngineersPlans, and Policies: • Outdated • Always done this way • Indirectly or directly restrict or prohibit LID+GSI • Add flexibility n = 131
Stormwater and LID Manuals from FL & Beyond
Statewide Stormwater Manual Part I (Intended for non-technical audiences) 1. Introduction to Stormwater Management 2. Stormwater Requirements in Florida 3. Sensitive Groundwater Areas 4. Stormwater Management Framework 5. Community Benefits 6. Public Education Part II: Low Impact Development 7. Conceptual Site Design 8. Low Impact Development Site Design
Statewide Stormwater Manual Part III: Green Stormwater Infrastructure 9. GSI Overview & Applicability Assessment 10. GSI Practices a. Non-Technical Overview b. GSI Description c. Planning Considerations d. Design Criteria & Specifications e. Construction Materials & Standards f. Installation/Construction Considerations g. Operation & Maintenance
Code Audit • Based on: • WI Sea Grant Tool • Center for Watershed Protection Tool • Identify LID+GSI Barriers • Curb & Gutter requirements • Parking & lot sizes • Adapted to Florida • Sensitive Groundwater Areas (Karst) • Coastal Areas
Code Audit Process Lay the groundwork • Establish a core team • Plan for Scoping Exercise and Code Audit • Assess GSI in the community and local acceptance of GIS, identify local natural resources, etc. • ID specific code sections or topics for the audit CommunityAdaptExerciseScopingtheCAST • Full audit, section of audit, or individual topics Perform the Code SummarizeAuditResults • Calculate and compare scores by category or topic • Report findings • Work through questions, finding & referencing code locations • Record comments and score questions • Seek input from liaisons
Parking lot perimeters shall be graded into a berm with a minimum slope of 2:1, covered with landscaping that will form a dense evergreen screen within tow years of planting.
Code is silent or significant limits exist, but practice could possibly be used. Landscaping in parking lot islands and perimeters must achieve a minimum of 75% cover within two years of planting.
0
2
4
Practice is encouraged, but some ambiguity or potential conflict exists.
1
Practice is prohibited or very unlikely to be approved.
Practice is clearly described and approved or is allowed with design approval.
Parking lot islands and perimeter landscaped areas are encouraged to be designed as part of the site’s stormwater management system, based on bioretention standards in the Stormwater Design Manual. Trees must be planted at a maximum interval of 20 feet.
3
Landscaped areas in parking lot perimeters and islands may be designed and used as stormwater bioretention areas.
Points Criteria Example Code Requirements
Practice is mentioned, but without standards or guidance for use.
Code Audit Spreadsheet Tool (CAST)
Where feasible, parking lot islands and perimeter landscaped areas shall be designed and installed to function as stormwater management areas, following design standards for bioretention found in the Stormwater Design Manual. If not feasible, native plants, suitable for the site shall be used.
Next Steps • Code Audit Tool • Identifies opportunities, gaps, or problem areas • Piloting • Alachua County & Cocoa Beach • Phase II (currently contracting UF/TNC/FDEP) • Example code language to address audit results • Intern Program with UF Urban & Regional Planning • Grad students conduct audits for local governments
Eban Z. Bean, Ph.D., P.E. Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist Urban Water Resources Engineering ezbean@ufl.edu @EbanBean Questions?
Florida-FriendlyLandscaping ™ What is it? • Science-based approach to maintaining an attractive, diverse, and more sustainable landscape. Goals: • Conserve water • Protect water quality
9 Principles of FloridaFriendly Landscaping™ • Right plant, right place • Water efficiently • Fertilize appropriately • Mulch • Attract wildlife • Manage yard pests responsibly • Recycle yard waste • Reduce stormwater runoff • Protect the waterfront
R ESULTS TO D ATEFFL Landscape Water Use Florida-Friendly Landscaping Practices are showing a water use savings of up to 83%
R ESULTS TO D ATEFFL - Impacts
Sumter County • Replaced annuals with FloridaFriendly Perennials $2,935/year savings
Tamarind Village Broward County (HOA) Annual Maintenance Savings • saved $16,000 on water bill • saves $13,000 a year on fertilizer • saves $5,000 a year on pesticides $33,000 annual savings BEFORE AFTER
FFL Landscape Certification Programs Florida-Friendly Landscape Recognition Green Industries Best Management Practices Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Certified Professional Florida-Friendly Water Star Gold Certification Green Stormwater Infrastructure Maintenance Certification Florida-Friendly Ponds Certification
FFL Landscape Recognition Home Landscape Recognition Commercial Landscape Recognition NewRecognitionConstruction NeighborhoodRecognition
GREEN INDUSTRIES BEST PRACTICESMANAGEMENT(GI-BMP) Highlights of Chap. 482.1562, F.S. Limited certification for urban landscape commercial fertilizer application Requires any professional fertilizer applicator in Florida successfully complete the Florida-Friendly Landscaping Green Industries best Management training.
FFL-Reaching Underserved Audiences Through Innovative Programming
• In the fall of 2021, GI-BMP training classes were held at the Jefferson County Correctional Institute.
• By offering educational programs like the GI-BMP, the reoffending rates can be reduced. With as much as 33% according to Saylor and Gaes (1997).
Case Study
• One of the goals of the Jefferson County Correctional Institute is to provide enhanced training programs. Which should translate into meaningful work experience and marketable job skills for their future when leaving prison.
• According to the Florida Department of Corrections, the cost of one individual in the system costs the State $22,750 per year.
• If 20% of these 87 trained men became employed, the state would save $409,500.00 in one year.
• Here (87) men completed the 6 modules of training, passed tests, and received their GI-BMP certification.
Jefferson Correctional Institution
Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Certified Professional • A competitive advantage in the professional landscape design market • A certificate of qualification with the FFLCP logo • Option to be listed on the state-wide Florida-Friendly Certified Professionals website • Use of the FFLCP logo to promote your expertise in sustainable landscape design and maintenance
GSI Maintenance Certification Training • 1 day training • Morning – classroom lecture • Afternoon – applied learning
A GREEN FLORIDA FOR A BLUE PLANET Web Applications • Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Plant Guide • FFL Butterfly Gardens • FFL Bee Gardens • FFL Fertilizer ordinance • FFL Toxic plant https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/
Florida Green Stormwater Infrastructure Website • Community Engagement • GSI Brochure • GSI Presentation • GSI Technical Manual • GSI Plant Guide • Case Studies • NPS Publication Tool • List of GSI Maintenance Certified individuals (coming soon)
GREENPRINTING AND GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE (GSI) PHOTO LIBRARY SESSION: Tools and Applied Approaches to Mainstream Green Infrastructure in the Built Environment 2022 Florida Planning Conference September 7, 2022 Christianah Oyenuga, PhD The Nature Conservancy (TNC) 40 I Greenprinting and GSI Photo Library
PROTECTING OUR FUTURE
MEERA BHAT Director of Equitable Conservation, TNC
4242 I Greenprinting and GSI Photo Library
GREENPRINTING AS A SOLUTION
“Access to the benefits nature provides — such as clean water, cool air and protection from flooding — should not be a luxury available to those who can afford it. It’s a right that goes to the core of human health and well-being.”
© Jennifer Adler
A strategic conservation plan and web-based interactive mapping tool that can guide communities to grow in a way that balances the need for resource conservation with the needs for economic development, while revealing the multiple benefits that natural resources provide communities.
GREENPRINTING
43 I Greenprinting and GSI Photo Library
43
Greenprinting for City Planning and Resource Conservation Strategic Outreach Greenprint Decision-Support Tool Technical Assessment & Tool Development Protecting Nature and People through Nature Based Solutions 44 I Greenprinting and GSI Photo Library
Melbourne, Australia Notable TNC Greenprints Bay Area Greenprint, CA Chicago Greenprint, IL Pajaro Compass, CA Living Melbourne, Australia 45 I Greenprinting and GSI Photo Library
Georeferenced Online Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Photo Library
© Carlton Ward Jr
46. 46 I Greenprinting and GSI Photo Library Springs, Lakes, Aquifers, Streams & Rivers: Ensuring the Health of Florida’s Freshwater Wonders
47. © Carlton Ward Jr
Georeferenced Online GSI Photo Library
47 I Greenprinting and GSI Photo Library
48. © Carlton Ward Jr • To show the multi-functionality and benefits of GSI through photographs to promote and advance utilization • “Backyard” examples available to stakeholders (Counties & Municipalities, Designers & Engineers, Educators, State Agencies and the Public) • Basic searchability, georeferencing and links to educational materials 48 I Greenprinting and GSI Photo Library Georeferenced Online GSI Photo Library
4949 I Greenprinting and GSI Photo Library
50 THANK YOU! Christianah Oyenuga, PhD Sustainable Cities Manager The Nature @nature.orgc.a.oyenuga@tnc.orgConservancy/floridanatureconservancyFL 50 I Greenprinting and GSI Photo Library Our Partner: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Statewide LID+GSI Manual & Code Audit Tools – Coming soon: Home - Florida GSI (floridadep.gov); search FDEP Green Infrastructure Florida Friendly Web Applications: GSIhttps://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/PhotoLibrary – Coming soon Florida Groundwater Infrastructure (gsiphotosflorida.org) Example Greenprints (Search by Greenprint name): Chicago Greenprint (arcgis.com) (Illinois) Miami-Dade County Greenprint ((Florida) Living Melbourne (Australia) Bay Area Greenprint (California) Resources
UF/IFAS Program for Resource Efficient Communities
The Nature Conservancy Florida
Lesley Bertolotti & Beth Lewis
Creating Living Laboratories for Sustainability in Florida’s New Urban Developments
The Sustainable Floridians Benchmarking & Monitoring Program (SF-BMP) Florida Planning Conference • Orlando, FL • 7 September 2022
Jennison Kipp, Nick Taylor, & Pierce Jones
WHY? Urban Land Development Today to 2070 https://1000friendsofflorida.org/florida2070
WHY? Florida’s Population 2010
Florida’s Population 2010 v.
2070
Florida’s Population 2010 v. 2070 Projected 15 million new residents by 2070
Florida’s Water Supply & Quality
Florida’s Water Supply & Quality Projected 54% increase in water demand by 2070
Florida’s Aquifer and Springs, Our “Lifeblood”
Florida’s Land Development Status Quo
Development Status Quo Is Failing
We promote the adoption of best design, construction, and management practices that measurably reduce energy and water consumption and environmental degradation in Florida’s masterplanned residential community developments. 62 >Partnerships >The Program >Pilot Projects >Takeaways >QuestionsWHO? Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC)
63
WHAT? Partnerships for Systems Change
Public-Private
• Holistic, performance-based, collaborative approach – for the long haul • Create “living laboratories” for applied research and outreach Extension projects • Make the business case for low-impact, resource-efficient, replenishing, restorative, and resilient new communities • Build on opportunities, document lessons learned, and iteratively adapt • Scale, replicate, and shift the status quo Sustainable Floridians Benchmarking & Monitoring Program
• Holistic, performance-based, collaborative approach – for the long haul • Create “living laboratories” for applied research and outreach Extension projects • Make the business case for low-impact, resource-efficient, replenishing, restorative, and resilient new communities • Build on opportunities, document lessons learned, and iteratively adapt • Scale, replicate, and shift the status quo We endorse best practices & principles, not specific projects & products! Sustainable Floridians Benchmarking & Monitoring Program
• Promote/maximize ecological diversity and ecosystem services • Minimize/eliminate irrigation beyond establishment • Minimize/eliminate mineralized fertilizer use • Minimize/eliminate pesticides, insecticides, herbicides HOW? Reduced Impact Residential Landscapes
HOW? Measurement & Verification (H2OSAV) H2osav.buildgreen.org/info/partners
Water Savings, Analytics, & Verification (H2OSAV) H2osav.buildgreen.org/info/methods
Tracking Lot-Level Irrigation Demand
GRU Residential Water Demand
Irrigation-Driven Water Demand
“…the dramatically higher water use of the ‘High Users’ group is mainly due to irrigation.”
“High Users are using almost 60% of their water irrigating their yards.”
Residential Irrigation & Water Equity
• 24,000-acre master planned developmentcommunity • 30-year build out with ~36,000 new homes • Osceola & Orange Counties • First neighborhood’s 12 model homes just installed • 5 “Eco-Life” Tenets aligned with Sustainability Performance Metrics WHERE? Sunbridge Stewardship District “Living Labs”
Goals to Identify: • Native plant species that can thrive in landscapesresidential • Irrigation and soil amendment practices that improve establishment of native plants • Characteristics of native plants that promote pollinator and ground dwelling beetle biodiversitytwo key ecological services indicators SF-BMP LIVING LABS: Sunbridge Boundary Planting
SF-BMP LIVING LABS: Sunbridge Boundary Planting
Experimental Native Gardens & Model Home Landscapes
HOW? ‘Sprinkler-Free’ Subdivisions Study 1. 88th Street Cottages 2. Hidden Lake Phase II 3. Gainesville CoHousing 4. Madera
Robinshore & 88th Street Cottages • Gainesville, Alachua County • “Cottage” Neighborhood Development • Amended soils and installed “irrigationfree” landscapes • Completed in Spring 2020 ‘Sprinkler-Free’ Subdivisions – Gainesville & Alachua Co.
‘Irrigation-Free’ vs. ‘Conventional’ Subdivisions Resident Survey
• 4 new ‘sprinkler-free’ subdivisions in Gainesville and Alachua County (74 homes total) • 24 new ‘conventional’ subdivisions as reference groups (matched comparisons w/ ‘test’ groups) • 2,079 homes/households sampled • 166 completed surveys received • IRB-approved #202101992 ‘Irrigation-Free’ vs. ‘Conventional’ Subdivisions Resident Survey
Water vs. Conventional
Use ‘Sprinkler-Free’
Water Use ‘Sprinkler-Free’ vs. Conventional Test groups used an average of 49% (141 gpd) to 61% (162 gpd) less water than their reference subdivision counterparts
Market ‘Sprinkler vs. Conventional
Value
-Free’
Market Value ‘Sprinkler-Free’ vs. Conventional Test groups property values are nominally lower (by 2-10%) than reference properties ($247-$261K vs. $265-$273K) but differences are not statistically significant
SF-BMP “Living Laboratory” Take-Aways • Conventional practices are not doing enough to protect Florida’s water resources • Developers and public sector interests are eager to partner in shifting the landscape and water use status quo • SF-BMP partnerships support “Living Laboratories” for sustainability • Raising the bar for water goals, monitoring and verifying performance over time, and phased evaluation of outcomes and impacts are key • ROIs matter—the business case must be made to accelerate and scale progress • Cross-sector collaborations can reveal untested leverage points and areas of common interest
Jennison Kipp,
lesley.bertolotti@tnc.orgLesleymjkipp@ufl.eduMSBertolotti,MS Florida Planning Conference • Orlando, FL • 7 September 2022
Thank You! Questions?