Introduction One of the primary environmental challenges of new developments is the increase in impervious surfaces, which, when it rains, leads to more polluted stormwater runoff. Clean water is essential for human health, ecosystems, and sustainable cities — and when rain falls on streets, sidewalks, and rooftops, it picks up contaminants and carries them directly… More
Introduction For decades, cities have relied on gray infrastructure — stormwater pipes, culverts, and treatment plants — to manage urban stormwater. While these systems serve an essential function, they are increasingly overburdened, expensive to maintain, and ill-equipped to handle modern climate challenges. Heavy rainfall overwhelms drainage systems, pollutants flow freely into watersheds, and aging pipes… More
Increasingly Extreme Weather Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, with cities across the globe facing dangerous challenges from hurricanes, heavy rain, and flash flooding. The combination of climate change and rapid urbanization has made stormwater management a critical component of climate resilience. Traditional stormwater infrastructure, built to whisk water away as quickly… More
Introduction When competing for space in urban development, stormwater management solutions — particularly those such as “daylighted” raingardens with prohibitive footprints — often find themselves at the bottom of the priority list. And yet, as cities expand, impervious surfaces multiply, increasing runoff and overloading drainage systems. So, how do designers simultaneously satisfy development needs and… More
Stormwater Management: Conventional Wisdom The traditional approach to stormwater management in urban environments has been to treat it as a problem to be managed, a liability that cities must control to prevent flooding, pollution, and infrastructure damage. Cities have been built upon this principle: quickly removing runoff from urban areas, directing it into storm drains,… More
As Jim Urban says, “Designing sites is not about looking great the day, month, or year they are completed. It is about creating landscapes that can function and thrive for many years and decades to come.” The foundation of successful urban green space design is prioritizing both the soil and the trees – and optimizing… More
At DeepRoot, we’re very comfortable in the cold – in fact, Minneapolis is the home base for our technical and marketing teams (with even more hardworking DeepRooters spread across the Canadian landscape). This is equally true of our Silva Cells, which have been supporting urban forests and treating stormwater in some of the world’s coldest… More
Introduction The economic vibrancy of many downtown cores, particularly in small- to medium-sized towns, has been waning in recent decades, losing retail and residential ground to adjacent suburbs. The reasons why are complex — but there’s no denying that at least part of the problem is the space itself: downtown districts often feature outdated and… More
To quote DeepRoot Vice President Al Key: “No matter the issue, trees have an impact.” This axiom is certainly true: Thriving urban forests are an important feature of any healthy city. The environmental advantages of these trees are obvious, everything from carbon sequestration and stormwater management to air-quality improvement. Even the financial impact of these… More
Introduction Trees have often been called the lungs of the world for their respiratory-like ability to release breathable oxygen into the air. But they could equally be considered the liver of the world, as they also filter atmospheric toxins and make the air cleaner and healthier to breathe. Urban areas typically feature worse air quality… More
Introduction Did you know that there are enough parking spaces in the United States to fill up the state of Connecticut? There are approximately 2 billion parking spots in America (servicing the needs of about 200 million cars). On average, a quarter of every major city’s land is parking area — with some cities, like… More
Introduction How do we build functional, sustainable urban communities? This is an increasingly critical question as the proportion of global population tilts more and more to city living. Urban density is an unignorable component in the equation — but not all density is created equal. Successful, eco-friendly city space can be dense; indeed, in some… More
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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