CitiesGoGreen - December 2008 - (Page 26)

would cut waste-disposal bills in half. Each 1% improvement in the recycling diversion rate saves the city more than $500,000 a year. GreenPlan Philadelphia is the city’s comprehensive plan for managing all the city’s present and future open spaces, and one aim is more trees. Trees Philadelphia lost 200,000 street trees in the last decade. The Next Great City Coalition says more trees means less pollution, cooler buildings and higher property values, plus a more pleasing street scene. It also calculates that each $1 invested in planting trees means a return of $2.80. The Next Great City “10 Actions” The “10 Actions” identified by the Next Great City project would improve the environment, the wellbeing of residents, and the economy. According to the Next Great City website, the actions were chosen with specific criteria in mind: • Each of the recommended actions can be completed within the new mayor’s term. • Each is within the city’s authority. • Each is affordable—either revenue neutral or able to be funded through an identified source that can cover key costs. • Each of these actions will create positive changes that people will be able to see and feel in their own neighborhoods. Each action was identified through months of discussion with hundreds of residents and business, community and nonprofit leaders across the city. The 10 Actions include: • Create public riverfronts • Expand recycling • Improve transit stops • Stop sewer backups and flooding • Adopt modern zoning • Use clean energy and construct energy efficient buildings • Replant neighborhood trees • Maintain healthy parks • Clean and green vacant lots • Reduce asthma caused by soot See also: planphilly.com pennfuture.org greenplanphiladelphia.com nextgreatcity.com 26 Currently, every business with water service is charged a stormwater fee based on usage. However, industry experts say fees should be based on the amount of a property’s impervious surface. At a Sustainability Forum in 2006, Tom Water Cahill of the environmental consulting Water tops the list of sustainability pri- firm Cahill Associates said the goal is to orities. “Waterfronts are emerging as key “reduce impervious surface coverage, components for the city from a sustain- namely asphalt pavement, to restore the able and economic standpoint. We are a hydrologic cycle and to separate stormcity of two major rivers. It connects peo- water from wastewater to protect river ple to the environment when they work, quality and the drinking water supply.” live and recreate near waterfronts,” said The plan involves the city’s entire infraChristine Knapp, Director of Outreach for structure, providing incentives for owners Pennfuture.org. and managers of parking lots and other The Schuylkill and Delaware rivers paved surfaces to stop creating imperviprovide the city’s drinking water. The ous surfaces, instead encouraging plants Schuylkill (locals say “SKOO-kull”), plagued and trees to absorb runoff. Rain gardens, by stormwater runoff and sewage overrain barrels, landscaped medians, street trees and other features “We need to re-engineer our cities and to would break up paved surfaces, recognize the green potential and make our slow runoff and lessen pressure on the city’s water system. urban settings sustainable.” —Howard Neukrug Mayor Nutter showed support for the Fair Use Fee and for stormwater best practices in his Fiveflow, is one of the nation’s most polluted Year Financial Plan for the City. A rate case rivers, though significantly improved due on the Fair Use Fee is expected to be apto a federally mandated cleanup. proved in early 2009, according to Knapp. A new view of stormwater is expressed “Under the new system, the parking lot by Patrick Starr, Senior Vice President with would be paying (stormwater fees),” Knapp the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, said, which could be reduced if they install a statewide advocacy group. “What we’re porous pavement or parking islands or trying to learn is to treat stormwater as a plant trees. She refers to it as a “revenue resource to use to improve our communi- neutral process” and said “it’s really more ties in a variety of ways,” Starr said. “It’s not about the incentive and to encourage estreating it as waste. It’s a resource. That’s tablishments to do best practices.” the big insight regarding sustainability.” Philadelphia residents are also encourThe founding director of the City’s Of- aged to install rain gardens and practice fice of Watersheds, Howard Neukrug, has voluntary water conservation. “We need spearheaded the new approach to water. to re-engineer our cities and to recognize “As a water utility, we’re also looking at the green potential and make our urban green streets. It includes trees, bike paths, settings sustainable,” said Neukrug, who pedestrian right of ways, traffic calming, encourages more initiatives that supcurb bump-outs and good aesthetics port green roofs, cisterns and rain barrels. overall,” Neukrug said. “We can create a Knapp said, “We want people to think of green infrastructure that deals with reus- the city as a great place.” ing and using infiltrating rainwater where it lands and dealing with it locally rather than moving it away.” Fair Use Fee realigns incentives A 2006 poll showed widespread flooding and water damage to homes and businesses, involving up to a third of respondents. Stopping such flooding became a high priority. One approach is a proposed “Fair Use Fee”, which would reallocate the way stormwater fees are collected. Jennifer Karchmer is a freelance writer in Bellingham, WA and teaches communication courses at Western Washington University. Add your comments and ideas at CitiesGoGreen.com December 2008 http://www.Pennfuture.org http://www.nextgreatcity.com/actions http://www.planphilly.com http://www.pennfuture.org http://citiesgogreen.com/issues/december-2008/features/philadelphia-working-to-be-the-next-great-city http://www.greenplanphiladelphia.com http://www.nextgreatcity.com http://citiesgogreen.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CitiesGoGreen - December 2008

Citites Go Green Contents In Motion We’re Taking Steps 10,000 Rain Gardens in Kansas City Chicago Center for Green Technology Connecticut’s ‘One Thing’ Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Philadelphia The Economics of What Matters New Context: New Possibility

CitiesGoGreen - December 2008

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