flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Public is willing to volunteer to maintain green infrastructure

Codes and Standards

Public is willing to volunteer to maintain green infrastructure

Perceived benefits make residents willing to help public works departments.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | February 19, 2020

Courtesy Pixabay

Urban communities that opt for green infrastructure, such as rain gardens and on-site water treatment features, might be able to find willing volunteers to help maintain it.

Because it is decentralized across a city and requires constant maintenance and upkeep, green infrastructure is difficult to maintain for public works departments. A study by the University of Illinois and Reed College found that residents value such landscaped features and some said they would be willing to help maintain them.

The researchers in Chicago and Portland, Ore., offered respondents a series of hypothetical scenarios aimed at reducing flooding, improving water quality, and strengthening aquatic habitats in local rivers and streams. The study found that people would be willing to spend a considerable amount of time working to support environmentally beneficial features especially if it directly benefitted their local community. Respondents strongly valued efforts to improve habitat for aquatic creatures and to reduce water pollution to make rivers and streams more usable.

The study also indicated support for fees or taxes to fund these projects.

Related Stories

| Mar 15, 2012

Illinois city rejects international code due to home sprinkler requirement

Macomb, Illinois aldermen voted to recommend that the city not adopt 2012 international building and residential code standards requiring the installation of overhead sprinkler systems in newly constructed one-family and two-family homes.

| Mar 15, 2012

Tenant advocates propose licensing landlords in New York City

With thousands of New York City rental units posing potential dangers to tenants, city advocates are proposing measures to make landlords improve building safety.

| Mar 15, 2012

Construction industry a big winner in federal small disadvantaged business procurement

Last year, only 5% of federal contract dollars went to small disadvantaged businesses. Construction and facilities support firms were the biggest beneficiaries.

| Mar 15, 2012

ANSI approves new fall protection standards

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has approved two American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) standards addressing fall protection.

| Mar 8, 2012

Engineering innovation provides new option for meeting seismic codes in skyscrapers

Two University of Toronto engineers have developed “viscoelastic-energy-dissipating dampers” to replace many of the heavy concrete beams used in tall structures.

| Mar 8, 2012

CSI webinar on building code compliance March 22

A March 22 webinar will provide an overview of a 28-step process during the design of a building to ensure compliance with building codes.

| Mar 8, 2012

Federal silica dust rule caught in bureaucratic limbo

A federal rule meant to protect the lungs of workers has been caught in bureaucratic purgatory for more than a year.

| Mar 8, 2012

New LEED-EBOM rating has requirements for specific project types

Several key changes are proposed for the LEED-EBOM Rating System in 2012.

| Mar 8, 2012

Green buildings more resilient than conventionally built structures

A new study by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning suggests that structures built to green standards can advance building resiliency.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Reconstruction & Renovation

Movement to protect historic buildings raises sharp criticism

While the movement to preserve historic buildings has widespread support, it also has some sharp critics with well-funded opposition groups springing up in recent years. Some opponents are linked to the Stand Together Foundation, founded and bankrolled by the Koch family’s conservative philanthropic organization, according to a column in Governing magazine.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021