Green Infrastructure

When rain falls on roofs, streets, and other paved areas, the water cannot soak into the ground and instead drains through gutters, storm sewers, and other engineered systems into nearby water bodies. That runoff carries trash, bacteria, and other pollutants. When rain falls in natural areas, soil and plants absorb the water and filter the pollution. Green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and other elements to protect, restore, or mimic the natural water cycle in order to manage stormwater and create healthier urban environments. Green infrastructure elements, such as rain gardens and permeable pavement, can be integrated into small sites all the way to large-scale elements spanning entire watersheds.

The Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI) conducts analyses and creates guides that support the expansion of green infrastructure into more communities to enhance public benefits.

PUBLISHED RESEARCH

Evaluating tree benefits and care in California schoolyards for climate resilience

Researcher(s): Melody Ng (PhD student, UCLA, Urban Planning) and Jared Coffelt (PhD student, UCLA, Environment and Sustainability)
Funder: UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and USDA Forest Service

Public schools are key institutions for climate resilience investments in California, including schoolyard tree-planting efforts to mitigate extreme heat. However, past and current policies and other factors have created and reinforced the expansive amount of impervious surfaces in K–12 public schools, a major barrier to greening projects. This report provides recommendations to support depaving efforts.

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Researcher(s): Edith de Guzman, UCLA; Members of the Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity Collective; Krystle Yu, graduate student
Funder: Accelerate Resilience L.A. (a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors) and the U.S. Forest Service, via the L.A. Center for Urban Natural Resources Sustainability

The Luskin Center for Innovation and the Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity Collective provide a step-by-step, decision-making framework that centers equity in tree planting and presents public engagement strategies developed in partnership with community-based organizations, designed to give a voice to residents.

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Measuring Community Engagement and Disadvantaged Community Benefits for Equitable Impact in the Safe Clean Water Program

Researcher(s): Gregory Pierce, Jon Christensen, Mike Antos, Peter Poquemore, Hayat Rasul, Estefany Garcia

This report provides advice to LA County to strengthen the equity outcomes of the Safe Clean Water Program. Community engagement is key to cleaning and strengthening the local water supply and building disadvantaged community resilience.

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Researcher(s): Edith de Guzman, Francisco J. Escobedo, and Rachel O’Leary

By adapting a framework regularly used in the public health field to evaluate urban forest equity and well-being, the researchers developed a model of community-based tree stewardship to reveal how interacting dimensions — from individual to society level — drive urban forest equity and related public health outcomes. The research can inform urban forestry policy, planning, and management actions to support increasing tree cover and reducing heat exposure in marginalized communities.

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Researcher(s): V. Kelly Turner

This study examines how local water professionals choose among different stormwater management options. In particular, what leads them to prioritize green infrastructure options that provide wider benefits to ecosystems and society (such as rain gardens)? This survey of stormwater professionals from Cleveland and Denver revealed two patterns. First, water managers’ top priorities align with federal requirements for their cities. Second, managers’ other priorities align with their values.

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An Analysis for the City of Los Angeles

Author(s): J.R. DeShazo, Kelsey Jessup, and Ali Panjwani

Researchers used data accumulated from 2009 until 2015, during which time the City of Los Angeles spent more than $42 million on the turf replacement program. In partnership with the Metropolitan Water District, the city issued rebates for 15 million square feet of turf, saving approximately 66,000 gallons of water a year. To assess the economics of lawn replacement from the household perspective, the report measured the impact of different rebate levels, turf replacement costs, climate zones, and future expected water pricing on household financial benefits.

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Stories and Guidance

Researcher(s): J.R. DeShazo, Colleen Callahan, Kelsey Jessup, Mara Elana Burstein, Andrew Pasillas, Jimmy Tran, and Cameron Robertson
Funder: The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, the David Bohnett Foundation, and the California Endowment

The guide describes the experience of community residents and other leaders who have successfully developed portions of the L.A. River greenway, and provides advice to those interested in promoting a continuous greenway in their community. It features 14 case studies of small and large projects that have improved community access to the L.A. River and/or created parks, pathways, or bridges along it.

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Lessons Learned from Previous Projects for Green Alley Development in Los Angeles & Beyond

Researcher(s): Rachel Lindt, Colleen Callahan, and J.R. DeShazo

The report introduces a green alley framework and provides examples of completed alley transformations from across the U.S. Then it provides a more in-depth case study of the current Avalon Green Alley Network Demonstration Project in park-poor South Los Angeles. The report provides ideas and lessons for green alley design, funding, partnership development, community engagement, and the navigation of a complex regulatory environment.

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A Case Study: the City of Los Angeles

Researcher(s): Zita L.T. Yu, J.R. DeShazo, Michael K. Stenstrom, and Yoram Cohen

The researchers reviewed greywater reuse regulations and guidelines within the U.S., including onsite treatment requirements, use application permits, and guidelines for greywater segregation as a separate wastewater stream. The study found that regulations in the majority of states promote safe greywater reuse but that there are also inconsistencies between plumbing codes and other regulations. Easing of restrictions and guidelines to promote development of low-cost and proven treatment technologies are needed to better promote greywater reuse.

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Researcher(s): Zita L.T. Yu, Anditya Rahardianto, J.R. DeShazo, Michael K. Stenstrom, Yoram Cohen

The researchers reviewed greywater reuse regulations and guidelines within the U.S., including onsite treatment requirements, use application permits, and guidelines for greywater segregation as a separate wastewater stream. The study found that regulations in the majority of states promote safe greywater reuse but that there are also inconsistencies between plumbing codes and other regulations. Easing of restrictions and guidelines to promote development of low-cost and proven treatment technologies are needed to better promote greywater reuse.

Read the report

Supported by Ryan Snyder Associates, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Author(s): Suzanne Bogert, Ryan Snyder, Colleen Callahan, et al.
Funder: The Luskin Center for Innovation and the Department of Health and Human Services through the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

This manual — honored by the American Planning Association — is a collaborative effort by national experts in living streets concepts. It offers a template for local municipalities and jurisdictions, especially those with limited resources, and provides the ability to tailor manuals to meet specific needs. It includes recommendations for how to maximize benefits and minimize costs associated with street design.

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