Historically, the work of stormwater engineers has involved capturing rainwater and conveying the flows offsite as quickly as possible. This approach led to the development of a vast system of large, centralized treatment facilities handling millions of gallons of stormwater annually – a very efficient, but not very environmentally-minded solution.
This article is the final one in a series about tree-friendly development. In past articles we discussed tree-friendly design and building practices. Today, we discuss the vital role of a consulting arborist in the tree preservation process. All arborists are not the same “Arborist” is a generic term for a tree specialist. “Certified Arborist” means… More
Around the globe, cities are rediscovering their industrial land. Once sustained by industry, in some places much of this urban infrastructure has closed down, with only the bones remaining. Today, cities are drawing all types – techies, bankers, artists, and immigrants alike – but space is limited. As urban land becomes more precious, communities reconsider… More
In order to document the growth and performance of trees in Silva Cells, and to validate our own approach to designing for both trees alone and trees-and-stormwater in combination, in 2015 we undertook a research and monitoring study of 10 Silva Cell projects across North America. This was a big project, as you might imagine…. More
The sounds of the city are adored by some as a source of energy and excitement – the hustle and bustle of people crowding the sidewalks accented by cars and buses whooshing past. Dogs bark, people shout, music plays from a window, and somewhere (hopefully in the distance) a siren wails. These noises are as… More
Good design preserves existing trees during a development project. However, the most tree-sensitive design will not be enough if tree-friendly building practices are not in place. Many times a tree that was damaged during development may not show symptoms of decline for a few years, so the cause and effect is often not obvious, unless… More
The City of Leeds, located in West Yorkshire, is the second largest legal and financial centre in the UK, as well as one of its most rapidly growing cities. In recent years, Leeds’ City Council has undertaken major urban renewal and redevelopment initiatives to help strengthen the local economy and to continue to develop the… More
Historically, the best way to plan for future storms has been to look at the past. Significant effort has been put into to developing long-term rainfall records, and many of the most complex stormwater models are designed to run simulations that represent decades of rainfall data. But a changing climate means that storm patterns are… More
As engineers and landscape architects working in the built environment, we are increasingly faced with retrofit situations that must work with and around a variety of existing conditions and constraints. As stormwater requirements increase, requiring more storage or larger footprints, we must think creatively to locate and design systems to fit into an already constrained… More
Today marks the eighth and final episode of season 1 of Remarkable Objects (sob). Since this podcast is all about the intersection of nature and the urban environment, I wanted to use this last episode to talk about engaging ordinary citizens to create a better urban forest. As much as policies and regulations shape our… More
Public space is more than just a pleasant amenity in our towns and cities, it is an important connection between our homes, businesses, institutions, and the rest of the world. It’s where we bump into each other and wave hello. It’s also where nearly half of violent crimes happen (Bureau of Justice Statistics), where people… More
I’ve been a fan of Kaid Benfield’s writing for years, so I was incredibly excited when he agreed to be interviewed on Remarkable Objects. I was first introduced to his work as a reader of “Switchboard,” the blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council. His posts stood out to me because of their conversational tone,… More
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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