May 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 34

By richard dolesh

CO NS ERVATIO N

Parks Are Green Infrastructure

C

ities, cOunties, regiOns, AnD stAtes are increasingly looking at the functions

of their " green infrastructure " and the benefits it provides to citizens and taxpayers. Once taken for granted, the interconnected web of forests, streams,
rivers, wetlands, and other natural systems that is woven into every community is suddenly being recognized as extremely important to economic and environmental health.
systems function over a wide variety of conditions
and challenges. Understanding resiliency is especially important in the context of economic and human terms. How well cities, counties, and regions are
able to withstand the increasing costs and impacts of
climate change conditions is dependent on how resilient the natural systems are. Communities must plan
to deal with the impacts of climate change--sea-level
rise, more frequent extreme weather events, and the
increasing costs of repairing traditional infrastructure-buildings, roads, utilities-damaged in storm
events. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
has estimated that the price tag just for upgrading
stormwater management systems around the country is a staggering $390 billion.

123rf

Mayors, county executives, and other elected officials are beginning to realize the importance of
green infrastructure and how it supports and complements sustainable development. However, only
a small number of these officials yet understand
that their parks and public green spaces are essential components of sustainable development. Parks
leaders have an extraordinary opportunity to show
these elected officials and the public how our parks
are the backbone of green infrastructure and are
critical to the economic and environmental health
of every community.
A key concept in understanding the importance
and value of green infrastructure is the notion of resiliency. Resiliency is a measure of how well natural

w w w . N R P A . O R G    M A Y 2 0 1 2    Parks

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May 2012 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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