22 | NATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION BEST PRACTICES: SITE DESIGN led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to study the benefits of implementing green stormwater infrastructure in Toledo’s Silver Creek Watershed. They found that, over a 20year timeframe, this would result in approximately $700,000 in benefits from avoided building damage alone, with many green stormwater infrastructure practices expected to provide benefits beyond that period73, 74. This study, along with a triple bottom line approach identified in the sustainability plan, and a committed community, was influential in building momentum for prioritizing and implementing green stormwater infrastructure projects. One of the first projects to be implemented was a series of green infrastructure projects within Cullen Park,75 the westernmost access point to Lake Erie, using $300,000 in funding from the U.S. EPA Great Lakes Initiative grant program. RESOURCES: • American Rivers and Center for Neighborhood Technology: The Value of Green Infrastructure (See Appendix A for a list of existing tools for assessing green infrastructure’s performance and value). • Environmental Protection Agency: Benefits of Green Infrastructure • Environmental Protection Agency: Green Infrastructure Cost-Benefit Resources. • Stratus Consulting: A Triple Bottom Line Assessment of Traditional and Green Infrastructure Options for Controlling CSO Events in Philadelphia’s Watersheds • USDA Forest Service: iTree • Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments: Trees and Stormwater BEST PRACTICE: DESIGN FOR EQUITY AND INCLUSIVITY DESCRIPTION: It is important to ensure parks contribute to social equity and to prioritize underserved communities during the selection process. Engage communities throughout the design process, so that communities can actively participate in the design process and provide meaningful feedback, not just initial ideas or general desires. Equity must also be addressed at a system-wide or city-/ county-wide scale to ensure resources are allocated fairly and investment is targeted where need is greatest. STRATEGIES: • Develop and incorporate levels of service standards that encourage equitable access to parks when siting projects.76 • Ensure that community outreach efforts involve all stakeholders, making efforts to include groups that have historically been underrepresented and underserved. Create a participatory process as much as possible. • Accommodate as many ages, abilities, activity levels, and amenities as possible given site constraints; plan for a diversity of uses and users, according to community needs.
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