Green Stormwater Infrastructure Planning in Urban Landscapes: Understanding Context, Appearance, Meaning, and Perception

Abstract

Prior research has documented environmental and economic benefits of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI); literature on GSI social benefits is also becoming more prevalent among scholars around the world. This paper aims to understand whether GSI projects are considered as assets to urban neighborhoods or as projects that might introduce a new set of social concerns. Based on field observations of 238 GSI projects and 50 intercept interviews, we investigate selected social aspects of GSI, such as project context, visual appearance, recreational appeal, meaning, and public perception, in two neighboring US cities—Philadelphia and Camden. Analysis of field data and observation notes revealed that GSI project setting impacted recreational appeal; their appearance was related to maintenance and signage; and their interaction with the public depended on location, land use, and visual/recreational appeal. Most GSI sites with the presence of trash, but the absence of signage were found in potentially disadvantaged areas. According to intercept interviews, many people were not aware of GSI presence in the neighborhood, were not familiar with GSI or its functionality, did not find a way to get access to GSI or interact with them, and were generally concerned about poor design, defective construction, or lack of maintenance. We argue that lack of information and community care/support for GSI can result in social disinvestments in these projects, which can facilitate improper use and maintenance issues, affecting their intended basic environmental functions. Consistent with prior research, we speak to the importance of participatory planning processes in improving community acceptance and interests around GSI planning and installation in urban landscapes.

Finding the “Heart” in the Green: Conducting a Bibliometric Analysis to Emphasize the Need for Connecting Emotions with Biophilic Urban Planning

“…While White et al [ 52 ] claim “green spaces such as parks are accessible to all” (p. 926), most of the relevant scholarship disagrees with such a claim based on mounting evidence of unequal distribution of/access to green space due to historical environmental injustices that disproportionately affect lower-income, minority areas [ 10 , 69 , 73 , 74 , 75 ]. Research shows green stormwater infrastructure projects in some cities are also inequitably distributed [ 76 ] or constructed without much consideration of social factors [ 77 , 78 ]. As Wright Wendel et al [ 79 ] highlight, such inequitable distribution of and access to green spaces is not unique to developed nations; indeed, it is also present, if not more pronounced, in rapidly developing nations.…”

“…Even scholars who recognize the value of green spaces nonetheless question how many of these spaces a single urban environment needs [ 10 , 70 ], how they should be integrated with urban environments [ 41 , 78 , 86 ] and what specific role they play in potentially enhancing human health and well-being [ 69 ]. Others explore how BGI benefits users at various stages of the life cycle [ 87 ], as well as the strength of the correlation between nature and human health based on either the amount of/proximity to green spaces [ 13 ] or the level of biodiversity they promote [ 3 , 31 ].…”

“Green Enough Ain’t Good Enough:” Public Perceptions and Emotions Related to Green Infrastructure in Environmental Justice Communities

“…Before constructing tree trenches, it is important to understand the width and conditions of surrounding sidewalks, as well as the locations of underground pipes or wires that connect properties, so that projects do not damage existing infrastructure or cause any issues for pedestrians. Creative design considerations should also offer dual purposes or combine multiple uses (e.g., blending stormwater management, play spaces, and community educational spaces) to encourage direct public interactions with the GSI projects [41].…”

“…While some residents may perceive GSI as beneficial in theory, others may express concern that land devoted to GSI will be taken from affordable housing, thereby suggesting important tradeoffs that studies about residents' perceptions of GSI in general may not reflect. It is crucial, therefore, for researchers to incorporate into their studies in-depth interviews with residents to better understand their perceptions of GSI within specific neighborhood contexts, as well as to privilege this local knowledge over the researchers' own observations of GSI projects in those same contexts [41].…”

“…Few studies, however, have explored how GSI affects human health while providing other social and economic benefits, and even fewer studies have explored the extent to which GSI projects impact human health, especially mental and emotional health and well-being in EJ communities. Although the studies of residents' perceptions of GSI remain scarce, they nonetheless highlight the importance of understanding local contexts and recognizing that practitioner or designer perceptions of what is best for a community may not align with the perceptions of the people who actually live there [41]. These lived experiences and local perceptions are directly tied to the concept of place attachment, which refers to the cognitive or emotional bond that may form between a person and a place [42].…”