Earth Economics Selects Eight Communities
for Innovative Urban Green Infrastructure (GI) Labs
This fall, Earth Economics will lead labs in eight communities across the United States that aim to scale-up investment in and adoption of green infrastructure to increase urban resilience. Earth Economics staff and industry partners will bring these labs to three distinct regions that all face critical stormwater and other service-delivery challenges that are poised to increase in the face of climate change: the Pacific Northwest, the Southeast, and the Northeast.
The one-day, interactive labs will provide public- and private-sector leaders the catalyst and tools to create and sustain a portfolio of urban green infrastructure assets — everything from pervious streets, to living roofs, to parks and open spaces — to manage stormwater runoff, bolster climate resilience, beautify neighborhoods, create recreation spaces, and address other community needs. Earth Economics’ hands-on exercises will help participants craft a shared vision and goals for green infrastructure, identify challenge and opportunity areas, explore model regulations and incentives, and assess effective financing and values-based communications strategies.
The labs build on The Blueprint for Increased Investment in Green Infrastructure, an action plan for city leaders looking to bring their green infrastructure to scale. The Blueprint is based on ten months of extensive research, including practitioner interviews across the nation, literature review, process mapping, and econometric modeling.
The communities include:
Snohomish County, WA
City of Sandy, OR
City of Little Rock, AR
Palm Beach County, FL
Broward County, FL
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Boston, MA)
City of New Bedford, MA
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (Springfield, MA)
Communities: Getting Green to Scale
Key: Green = Urban GI Labs, Blue = Blueprint Interview Communities
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To learn about how Earth Economics could support green infrastructure investment and adoption in your community,
please visit our Urban GI project page or contact Project Director Rebecca Page.