User:Colonyk8/Green infrastructure

Bolded sentences are REVISIONS by KH to the existing article

Green infrastructure
Nature can be used to provide important services for communities by protecting them against flooding or excessive heat, or helping to improve air, soil and water quality. When nature is harnessed by people and used as an infrastructural system it is called “green infrastructure”. Many such efforts take as their model prairies, where absorbent soil prevents runoff and vegetation filters out pollutants. Green infrastructure occurs at all scales. It is most often associated with green stormwater management systems, which are smart and cost-effective. However, green infrastructure acts as a supplemental component to other related concepts, and ultimately provides an ecological framework for social, economic, and environmental health of the surroundings.

Grey infrastructure
*** explanation of grey infrastructure begins here?

Benefits
''' ** I think removing benefit section is okay, it's literally copy and paste for the later benefit section thats more developed. Recieved OK by Prof to move info to implementation.'''

Economic effects
''' ** is it okay for articles to repeat in their sections??? this is literally the same chunk for economic effects inside implementation. Recieved OK by Prof to move info to implementation.'''

Types of Green Infrastructure:
*** benefit sections should be omitted in this section and transferred over to implementation>benefits
 * Benefits

***Property Values bullet needs a citation or should be omitted, maybe something related to HOAs?


 * Property values: In response to fluctuating demand from residents wanting increased amounts of urban greenery, increasing vegetation like tree cover within urban areas can result in the surrounding areas of real estate to increase in value.
 * Property values: Having more trees increases property value, which suggests that people value greenery and trees wherever they are. This implies that trees contribute to the preferred living conditions of people.[citation needed]

Planning approach
***Last sentence should be added to implementation > benefits.

The multi-functionality of this approach is key to the efficient and sustainable use of land, especially in a compact and bustling country such as England where pressures on land are particularly acute. An example might be an urban edge river floodplain which provides a repository for flood waters, acts as a nature reserve, provides a recreational green space and could also be productively farmed (probably through grazing). There is growing evidence that the natural environment also has a positive effect on human health.

Benefits
***this passage should be omitted from the introduction section and transplanted into benefit section of implementation, after bulleted list

As a result, high-performing green spaces work to create a balance between built and natural environments. A higher abundance of green space in communities or neighbourhoods, for example, has been observed to promote participation in physical activities among elderly men, while more green space around one's house is associated with improved mental health.

In addition to these benefits, recent studies have shown that residents highly value the experiential aspects of green infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of aesthetics, wellbeing, and a sense of place. This focus on cultural ecosystem services suggests that the design and implementation of green infrastructure should prioritize these elements, as they significantly contribute to the communiteption of value and overall quality of life.

Economic effects
***should consider finding more info/data on economic impacts besides a PA plan

A study in 2012 that focused on 479 green infrastructure projects across the United States, found that 44% of green infrastructure projects reduce costs compared to the 31% that increased the costs. The most notable cost savings were due to reduced stormwater runoff and decreased heating and cooling costs.

A comprehensive green infrastructure in Philadelphia is planned to cost just $1.2 billion over the next 25 years, compared to over $6 billion for "grey" infrastructure (concrete tunnels created to move water). Under the new green infrastructure plan it is expected that:


 * 250 people will be employed annually in green jobs.
 * Up to 1.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emission to be avoided or absorbed through green infrastructure each year (the equivalent of removing close to 3,400 vehicles from roadways)
 * Air quality will improve due to all the new trees, green roofs, and parks
 * Communities will benefit on the social and health side
 * About 20 deaths due to asthma will be avoided
 * 250 fewer work or school days will be missed
 * Deaths due to excessive urban heat could also be cut by 250 over 20 years.
 * The new greenery will increase property values by $390 million over 45 years, also boosting the property taxes the city takes in.

A green infrastructure plan in New York City is expected to cost $1.5 billion less than a comparable grey infrastructure approach. Also, the green stormwater management systems alone will save $1 billion, at a cost of about $0.15 less per gallon. The sustainability benefits in New York City range from $139–418 million over the 20 year life of the project. This green plan estimates that “every fully vegetated acre of green infrastructure would provide total annual benefits of $8.522 in reduced energy demand, $166 in reduced CO2 emissions, $1,044 in improved air quality, and $4,725 in increased property value.”

'''In addition to ambitious infrastructure plans and layouts offering economical and health benefits with the investment of green infrastructure, a study conducted in 2016 within the United Kingdom analyzed the "willingness-to-pay" capacity held by residents in response to green infrastructure. Their findings concluded that, "investment in urban [green infrastructure] that is visibly greener, that facilitates access to [green infrastructure] and other amenities, and that is perceived to promote multiple functions and benefits on a single site (i.e. multi-functionality) generate higher [willingness-to-pay] values." The "willingness-to-pay" obligation is pronounced with the idea that the locations of some living spaces with functionality and aesthetics are more likely to wield larger amounts of social and economical capital. By incentivising residents to invest in green infrastructure within their own zones for development and communities, it allows the potential for increased revenue to be used in order to facilitate further green infrastructure, ultimately increasing the "economic viability" for future projects to occur.'''

Environmental Justice Impacts
'''***Section should be proposed/introduced within the article discussing the impacts of green infrastructure on EJ, proposed benefits but realities of implementations within marginalized communities. This is where social equity issues can be brought up?'''

'''In cities such as Chicago, green infrastructure projects are aimed at enhancing the environment through sustainability and livability, but often they create more social justice concerns like gentrification. This often happens when urban green spaces added in lower income communities attract wealthier residents, which causes the property values to increase and display the current residence of lower income communities. This often happens in communities that experience extreme heat therefore, green and infrastructure is incorporated, although it reshapes the demographic and the economic landscape of the community. The challenges with incorporating more green infrastructure with a beneficial goal for  social justice is often due to how the government funds and fulfills projects. Many of the projects are managed by nonprofits so they are not the focus nor are the proper skills necessary acquired which creates a larger social justice issue like the decrease in affordable housing. This causes a focus on environmental and recreational improvements and neglects the socioeconomic dimensions of sustainability. The planning process of infrastructure should consider the environmental outcomes while also integrating social equity considerations.'''

'''The success of implementing green infrastructure within communities that have experienced environmental injustice, like excess exposure to pollution or toxic waste, is dependent on the interaction and collaboration of project managers overseeing green infrastructure sites alongside community residents. The most prominent concerns raised by residents in a community in New Jersey cited concerns regarding the maintenance and upkeep of future green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), the necessity for future GSI projects to be multifaceted rather than universal amongst communities, and advocacy for environmental justice to be implemented within project outlines, as "GSI projects, as part of broader community greening initiatives, do not automatically guarantee EJ and health equity, which may be absent in many shrinking cities." It is important to comprehend the environmental and economical capabilities that green infrastructure can provide, but the environmental inequity in respect to being able to access these spaces must be considered in application of green infrastructure within communities. The imperative need to focus on communities with less accessibilty to ecosystem services and green infrastructure is a major part of ensuring all communities and residents feel the benefits and effects of implementation.'''