Alternate: Improving Water Resources and Creating Livable Communities with Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS)

Low Impact Development (LID) strategies and concepts intended to minimize stormwater runoff from impervious surface have been developed for decades within the Puget Sound basin and across the continent, but many LID strategies are more applicable to parcel-based projects or more appropriate for less dense development. Additionally, stormwater retrofits can be expensive as stand-alone projects and may not deliver additional benefits to the community without collaboration and partnership with transportation agencies or facilities. This photo-rich presentation will focus on sustainable drainage strategies for redevelopment in urban rights-of-way, with a focus on multi-disciplinary collaboration for additional community benefits. In addition to treating and detaining or infiltrating stormwater, implementing SUDS as part of right-of-way improvement projects offers the ability to offer additional enhancements such as increased tree canopy, flood reduction, traffic calming, and visual interest or placemaking that increase infrastructure's sustainability. Many of these functions contribute to resiliency from phenomena including heavy precipitation, drought, and extreme heat events. The presentation will include photographs, plan excerpts, and cross-sections of completed projects, with an explanation of critical decisions for both planning and design. Completed Puget Sound projects to be showcased include the Harrington Green Street Connection in Renton, WA and Mercer Street, Delridge Natural Drainage Systems (NDS), and the Central Waterfront redevelopment in Seattle. The project will use annotated photographs and graphics to suggest specific dimensions and design considerations for critical right-of-way components including curbside parking, the step-out zone, flexible amenity zone, and planter width. Finally, this presentation will suggest additional facility types and technologies including tree trenches or tree wells that could be developed and advanced to increase the opportunities for implementing SUDS. Specific challenges including constructibility and maintainability will be detailed.