Getting the Most Good out of Green Infrastructure: Advancing equity through project selection, benefits-driven design, and community involvement

Inequity in historical infrastructure investment and racist urban development policies have created conditions where low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the flooding and water pollution. And these challenges are compounded by limited access to green space, higher rates of pollution, and associated physical and mental health disparities. However, these interwoven challenges can be met by a holistic approach to green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) development. Equitable GSI development is a foundational step in every city's march toward reducing the flooding and pollution burdens on low income communities and communities of color, as well as correcting disparities in access to high quality green space. Greenprint Partners, a national leader in equitable GSI, will share a series of case studies that illustrate three pillars of a scalable solution: equitable project selection, benefits-driven design, and community involvement. - Youngstown GSI Master Plan: Greenprint has led an effort to develop a health-first GSI master plan to address CSOs in Youngstown, OH. As a legacy city with a majority-minority population and significant economic challenges, the ability to leverage this investment drive measurable community benefits is paramount. - The Well Farm at Voris Field (US Water Prize award recipient): Dubbed the most inclusive public works process to date in Peoria, this project transformed a vacant parcel in one of America's 100 poorest zip-codes into a tapestry of multi-functional, community-driven stormwater BMPs. This included a hybrid poplar stand, a flowering bioswale, and 100 raised beds, home to an agricultural apprenticeship program. - Green Infrastructure Retrofits: Greenprint's private property GSI retrofit operations in St. Louis, Philadelphia, and San Francisco created a pipeline of projects from disadvantaged communities and provided them the full suite of wrap-around services to ensure successful participation in grant programs with high barriers to entry.