Green Infrastructure Technologies Research Articles

Adaptation to climate change: state of art technologies

PurposeThe world is increasingly threatened by climate change. As the dimensions of this danger grow, it becomes essential to develop the most effective policies to mitigate its impacts and adapt to these new conditions. Technology is one of the most crucial components of this process, and this study focuses on examining climate change adaptation technologies. The aim of the study is to investigate the entire spectrum of technology actors and to concentrate on the technology citation network established from the past to the present, aiming to identify the core actors within this structure and provide a more comprehensive outlook.Design/methodology/approachThe study explores patent citation relationships using social network analysis. It utilizes patent data published between 2000 and 2023 and registered by the US Patent and Trademark Office.FindingsStudy findings reveal that technologies related to greenhouse technologies in agriculture, technologies for combatting vector-borne diseases in the health sector, rainwater harvesting technologies for water management, and urban green infrastructure technologies for infrastructure systems emerge as the most suitable technologies for adaptation. For instance, greenhouse technologies hold significant potential for sustainable agricultural production and coping with the adverse effects of climate change. Additionally, ICTs establish intensive connections with nearly all other technologies, thus supporting our efforts in climate change adaptation. These technologies facilitate data collection, analysis, and management, contributing to a better understanding of the impacts of climate change.Originality/valueExisting patent analysis methods often fall short in detailing the unique contributions of each technology within a technological network. This study addresses this deficiency by comprehensively examining and evaluating each technology within the network, thereby enabling us to better understand how these technologies interact with each other and contribute to the overall technological landscape.

Global Paradigm Shifts in Urban Stormwater Management Optimization: A Bibliometric Analysis

Amidst the growing urgency to mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic climate change, urban flooding stands out as a critical concern, necessitating effective stormwater management strategies. This research presents a bibliometric analysis of the literature on urban stormwater management optimization from 2004 to 2023, with the aim of understanding how the field has responded to these escalating challenges. Aiming to map the evolution and current state of the field, this study employed a methodical approach, using CiteSpace to analyze publication trends, authorship patterns, and geographical distributions, as well as keyword and citation dynamics. The findings reveal a marked increase in research activity after 2014, with significant contributions observed between 2019 and 2022. Key research themes identified include low-impact development, green infrastructure, and stormwater management, with a notable shift towards hybrid grey–green infrastructure solutions that combine traditional and ecological elements. The prevalence of terms such as ‘best management practices’ and ‘Green Roofs’ in recent publications indicates a growing emphasis on practical, case-study-based research, particularly in green infrastructure technologies like bioretention cells. These insights underscore the field’s movement towards pragmatic, multi-objective optimization frameworks with tangible applications, guiding future research directions in this increasingly complex domain.

Bioretention Cells Provide a 10-Fold Reduction in 6PPD-Quinone Mass Loadings to Receiving Waters: Evidence from a Field Experiment and Modeling.

Road runoff to streams and rivers exposes aquatic organisms to complex mixtures of chemical contaminants. In particular, the tire-derived chemical 6PPD-quinone (N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone) is acutely toxic to several species of salmonids, which are critical to fisheries, ecosystems, and Indigenous cultures. We therefore urgently require interventions that can reduce loadings of 6PPD-quinone to salmonid habitats. Herein, we conducted a spike and recovery experiment on a full-scale, mature bioretention cell to assess the efficacy of stormwater green infrastructure technologies in reducing 6PPD-quinone loadings to receiving waters. We then interpreted and extended the results of our experiment using an improved version of the "Bioretention Blues" contaminant transport and fate model. Overall, our results showed that stormwater bioretention systems can effectively mitigate >∼90% of 6PPD-quinone loadings to streams under most "typical" storm conditions (i.e., < 2-year return period). We therefore recommend that stormwater managers and other environmental stewards redirect stormwater away from receiving waters and into engineered green infrastructure systems such as bioretention cells.

Wastewater treatment: methods and prospects

In this paper, the problems which can occur when wastewater is discharged into surface water bodies are considered. Modern methods of wastewater treatment are presented: mechanical, chemical, biological, physical-and-chemical, and combined methods. Examples of green infrastructure technologies with biofiltration function are given, which are easy to use and are effective in the treatment of both urban surface and production runoffs, and use the principles of landscape gardening. Characteristics of biofiltration swale, filtration strip, bioplateaus, biopools, and phytofilters are provided. The effectiveness of biological wastewater treatment with the use of bioengineering facilities is described. Results are presented on the research on using of highbog peat, charcoal, expanded perlite, overburned brick, celadon green, foam glass, flux from welding shop of a pipe-rolling plant, and rolling scrap as sorbing agents for treatment of acid wastewater containing iron.

Green Infrastructure and the Hidden Politics of Urban Stormwater Governance in a Postindustrial City

Infrastructure tells a material story of ongoing challenges in cities, reflecting the diverse, normative desires of different communities. In this article we examine the introduction of green infrastructure technologies into urban infrastructure systems to think critically about these challenges and desires. Green infrastructure is an intentionally designed, multifunctional technology that directly uses or mimics the ecological processes of soils and plants (e.g., green rooftops, rain gardens, and bioswales). Facing budget shortfalls as well as demands to mitigate hazards and green the city, urban leaders are looking at green infrastructure as a facility that can provide diverse cobenefits along with traditional services. A focus on stormwater-based metrics, however—effectively reframing green infrastructure as green stormwater infrastructure—discursively tamps down alternative politics and desires for the city. Through a case study of Pittsburgh’s stormwater governance, we argue that the work to (re)technologize green infrastructure as green stormwater infrastructure is an act of depoliticization that hinders needed conversations about just infrastructure outcomes. We draw on themes from qualitative interviews with community members engaged in urban water governance to suggest that these moments of transition provide an opportunity to illuminate previously obscured infrastructure politics and challenge the forms of knowledge that bind us to conventional routines of urban environmental governance. We see an opportunity to reframe the conversation in a way that opens up opportunities for historically disenfranchised communities to voice their needs beyond the technocratic problem of stormwater management.

Water quantity and quality response of a green roof to storm events: Experimental and monitoring observations

Syracuse, New York is working under a court-ordered agreement to limit combined sewer overflows (CSO) to local surface waters. Green infrastructure technologies, including green roofs, are being implemented as part of a CSO abatement strategy and to develop co-benefits of diminished stormwater runoff, including decreased loading of contaminants to the wastewater system and surface waters. The objective of this study was to examine the quantity and quality of discharge associated with precipitation events over an annual cycle from a green roof in Syracuse, NY and to compare measurements from this monitoring program with results from a roof irrigation experiment. Wet deposition, roof drainage, and water quality were measured for 87 storm events during an approximately 12 month period over 2011–2012. Water and nutrient (total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and dissolved organic carbon) mass balances were conducted on an event basis to evaluate retention annually and during the growing and non-growing seasons. These results are compared with a hydrological manipulation experiment, which comprised of artificially watering of the roof. Loadings of nutrients were calculated for experimental and actual storms using the concentration of nutrients and the flow data of water discharging the roof. The green roof was effective in retaining precipitation quantity from storm events (mean percent retention 96.8%, SD = 2.7%, n = 87), although the relative fraction of water retained decreased with increases in the size of the event. There was no difference in water retention of the green roof for the growing and non-growing seasons. Drainage waters exhibited high concentration of nutrients during the warm temperature growing season, particularly total nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon. Overall, nutrient losses were low because of the strong retention of water. However, there was marked variation in the retention of nutrients by season due to variations in concentrations in roof runoff.

THREE BAYS ESTUARY (BARNSTABLE, CAPE COD) WATERSHED RESTORATION PLAN: A GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE APROACH

INTRODUCTION This paper presents an approach described as “non-traditional” for restoring water quality and ecosystem services that have been degraded as a result of excess nitrogen. It focuses on emerging technologies often referred to as green infrastructure. These technologies may provide cost effective alternatives to traditional, gray infrastructure such as sewering and is likely to provide significant co-benefits including the creation of local jobs, the preservation of real estate values, and habitat enhancement. The paper focuses on the Three Bays estuary on Cape Cod to illustrate the benefits and potential of green infrastructure technologies. The Three Bays estuary is presented as a case study and as a representative example of implementation of the broader Cape Cod Water Quality Management Plan Update (208 Plan Update) – a nationally-recognized watershed planning project designed to provide a pathway for the fifteen towns of Cape Cod to achieve compliance with Section 208 of the Clean Water Act. The Three Bays estuary and embayment system is a scenic Cape Cod bay that hosts sailing, kayaking, swimming and shellfishing and is located in the Town of Barnstable. It is comprised of three primary segments that include West Bay, North Bay and Cotuit Bay. Sub-systems include Prince Cove that flows into North Bay, the Narrows that flows between North Bay and Cotuit Bay and Eel Pond that flows into East Bay (see Figure 1). The Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP) is a state-sanctioned watershed-modeling project that assesses the conditions of the state's estuaries and required restoration goals. Its technical report (2006) indicates that the water quality of the Three Bays system has resulted in seriously degraded to moderately degraded habitat. The system is listed as an impaired water body on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 303d list of impaired waters. An approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for nitrogen has been established for the embayment. This assessment is supported by more recent empirical water quality data collected within the embayment. The more current data documents a continuing decline in water quality with more common algae blooms (see Figure 2).

New York City Panel on Climate Change 2015 Report. Chapter 6: Indicators and monitoring.

William Solecki,1,a Cynthia Rosenzweig,2,a Reginald Blake,3,a Alex de Sherbinin,4 Tom Matte,5 Fred Moshary,6 Bernice Rosenzweig,7 Mark Arend,6 Stuart Gaffin,8 Elie Bou-Zeid,9 Keith Rule,10 Geraldine Sweeny,11 and Wendy Dessy11 1City University of New York, CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities, New York, NY. 2Climate Impacts Group, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University Earth Institute, New York, NY. 3Physics Department, New York City College of Technology, CUNY, Brooklyn, NY; Climate Impacts Group, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. 4 Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University, Palisades, NY. 5New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. 6NOAA CREST, City College of New York, CUNY, New York, NY. 7CUNY Environmental Crossroads, City College of New York, CUNY, New York, NY. 8Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University Earth Institute, New York, NY. 9Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. 10Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ. 11New York City Mayor’s Office of Operation, New York, NY

Understanding urban neighborhood differences in willingness to implement green infrastructure measures: a case study of Syracuse, NY

Green infrastructure is increasing in use in many major cities of the United States as a measure of stormwater control. Policy makers have opted for the use of green infrastructure measures as they add both aesthetic and functional value to the landscape. There is a need to understand the view of the public regarding the use of green infrastructure in their neighborhoods, specifically the factors that influence the public's willingness to implement green infrastructure on private properties. This study utilizes a door-to-door survey to examine citizens’ knowledge and willingness to implement green infrastructure technologies within two neighborhoods in Syracuse, New York. Results indicate that residents have high levels of knowledge regarding the use of green infrastructure methods for stormwater control, with no differences in socio-demographic variables affecting such green infrastructure knowledge. There is also strong willingness to implement green infrastructure measures whether provided free or whether a savings is accrued with implementation. Additionally, key factors affecting citizens’ willingness to implement green infrastructure are efficacy, aesthetics, and cost. This study indicates that perhaps a targeted approach can be taken for implementing green infrastructure measures. The profile of the most likely person to target includes those that are low income, desire to improve the overall aesthetic of their community and their personal space, and those whose financial commitments will not be strained. The study therefore provides valuable information for policy makers interested in using urban private properties to expand green spaces.

Maintenance versus Maturation: Constructed Storm-Water Wetland’s Fifth-Year Water Quality and Hydrologic Assessment

Constructed storm-water wetlands (CSWs) have become popular storm water control measures (SCMs) in low-lying coastal environments, offering a hybrid between larger detention practices (wet ponds) and newer green infrastructure technologies. However, it is relatively rare that CSWs are monitored once the practice has aged 4 years, causing some concern among stakeholders about the long-term performance of CSWs. The specific objective of this research was to investigate the effects that wetland maturation and lack of maintenance have on the ability of a 5-year-old CSW to mitigate hydrology and improve water quality. A CSW was monitored from 2012–2013 that had not been maintained since construction in the spring of 2007. Since then, it has established as a diverse and healthy ecosystem. The monitoring results were compared with the results of a study conducted at the same site for a 1-year period immediately following construction (2007–2008). In 2007–2008, runoff volumes were reduced 54% and peak discharges 80%; whereas in 2012–2013, no change was observed in volume, and peak discharges were reduced by 64%. The stark difference in hydrologic mitigation was attributed to less availability of design volume in 2012–2013 because of (1) organic detritus accumulation during the intervening 5 years measured to be 7 cm; (2) modest siltation; and (3) an upward water-table adjustment owing to differing average antecedent dry periods. The 2012–2013 hydrologic performance of this CSW was similar to other CSWs (that were 2 years of age) studied in North Carolina, indicating that ecological systems should be monitored for performance after the point of establishment (2–3 years) for regulatory purposes. Overall nitrogen event mean concentration (EMCs) were reduced as the wetland matured, but not for total phosphorus (TP), as the effluent concentrations increased from 2007–2008 to 2012–2013. CSW maturation seemed to outweigh the lack of maintenance for both nitrogen treatment and stabilization of internal sediment. Maintenance (removal/replacement of forebay sediments and detritus material) need was apparent, however, for TP treatment and hydrologic mitigation. This appeared to be the only form of maintenance that would have been needed in the last 6 years for an SCM treating a 47-ha watershed. In comparison to the other practices, namely bioretention and permeable pavement, similar CSWs may have much lower operation and maintenance costs. This may make CSWs a viable option in areas where little resources exist for SCM maintenance.

Developing resilient green roofs in a dry climate

Living roofs are an emerging green infrastructure technology that can potentially be used to ameliorate both climate change and urban heat island effects. There is not much information regarding the design of green roofs for dry climates and so the aim of this study was to develop low maintenance and unfertilized green roofs for a dry climate. This paper describes the effects of four important elements of green roofs namely slope, depth, growing media and plant species and their possible interactions in terms of plant growth responses in a dry climate. Sixteen medium-scale green roofs were set up and monitored during a one year period. This experiment consisted of twelve vegetated platforms and four non-vegetated platforms as controls. The design for the experiment was a split–split-plot design in which the factors Slope (1° and 25°) and Depth (100mm, 300mm) were randomized to the platforms (main plots). Root depth and volume, average height of plants, final dry biomass and ground cover, relative growth rate, final dry shoot–root ratio, water use efficiency and leaf succulence were studied during a twelve month period. The results showed little growth of the plants in media type A, whilst the growth was significant in both media types B and C. On average, a 90% survival rate of plants was observed. Also the growth indices indicated that some plants can grow efficiently in the harsh environment created by green roofs in a dry climate. The root growth pattern showed that retained water in the drainage layer is an alternative source of water for plants. It was also shown that stormwater can be used as a source of irrigation water for green roofs during six months of the year at the study site. In summary, mild sloping intensive systems containing media type C and planted with either Chrysocephalum apiculatum or Disphyma crassifolium showed the best performance.

Using Life Cycle Assessment to Evaluate Green and Grey Combined Sewer Overflow Control Strategies

SummaryDecentralized approaches to managing urban stormwater are gaining increased attention within the contexts of urban sustainability, climate change adaptation, and as a means of reducing combined sewer overflows (CSOs). This study applied a life cycle assessment (LCA) to comparing the environmental efficiency of three means of equivalently reducing CSOs to the Bronx River (Bronx, NY, USA). Strategy 1 featured decentralized green infrastructure technologies, while “grey” strategies 2 and 3 detained, and detained and treated, respectively, excess flows at the end of pipe. We estimated greenhouse gas emissions (in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents [t CO2‐eq]) over the construction, operation, and maintenance phases, including energy consumed at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), carbon sequestered, and shading provided by vegetation (in the case of the green approach) over a 50‐year analysis period. The study area comprised the entire drainage area contributing to New York State permitted CSO discharge points associated with the Hunts Point WWTP. The analysis was performed using a hybrid of process and economic input‐output (EIO) LCA methods. The decentralized green strategy outperformed the two grey strategies in terms of this set of environmental metrics. The net emissions of the green strategy over 50 years was 19,000 t CO2‐eq, whereas the grey strategies emitted 85,000 t CO2‐eq (detention) and 400,000 t CO2‐eq (detention and treatment). These results were significantly influenced by the emissions associated with the operation and maintenance activities required for strategies 2 and 3, and the carbon sequestered and shading provided by the vegetation in strategy 1, and suggest that watershed managers who seek to reduce CSOs and reduce carbon footprints would opt for the green approach.

Constructed Storm-Water Wetland Installation and Maintenance: Are We Getting It Right?

Constructed storm-water wetlands (CSWs) have become one of the more popular storm-water control measures (SCMs). CSWs offer a hybrid between larger detention technologies like storm-water wet ponds and newer green infrastructure technologies. The systems are characterized as being predominately shallow retention practices, with water elevations sufficiently low to support diverse flora and fauna. Figs. 1(a–c) illustrate several successful examples of CSWs. Many researchers have found that CSWs remove sediment, nutrients, and metals from storm-water runoff (Greenway 2004; Hathaway and Hunt 2010; Line et al. 2008; Kohler et al. 2004; Wadzuk et al. 2010). One of the principal drivers for the use of storm-water wetlands is the amount of credit awarded to them by various governmental agencies with respect to nutrient removal and sequestration [North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) 2009]. The apparent improvement in nutrient capture from storm-water runoff over that of storm-water wet ponds is one of the main reasons designers choose CSWs over the more traditional wet pond. Extensive coverage of vegetation allows for several pollutant removal mechanisms: filtration of particles, stabilization of sediments, nutrient uptake, microbialrhizophere interaction to promote nitrification and denitrification, and the provision of increased surface area for biofilm/periphyton growth (Greenway 2004). In regions where thermal loads threaten cold water fisheries, CSWs have been shown to release cooler water to streams than do wet ponds because of the shading caused by the vegetation—but absent from wet ponds (Jones and Hunt 2010). Some concerns have also presented themselves with respect to CSWs, which have prevented the practice from outright replacing the wet pond. Foremost among them is the threat of mosquito infestation that wetlands invariably face in relation to the public (QDNR 2000). Research has shown that exorbitantly high mosquito populations need not accompany CSWs, provided they are diversely vegetated (Greenway et al. 2003; Hunt et al. 2006). However, if wetlands are allowed to become monocultures of specific mosquito-protective plants, such as Typha spp. (commonly referred to as cattails in the United States), they can become the very mosquito breeding grounds that the public fears (Greenway et al. 2003; Hunt et al. 2005). If storm-water wetlands are to be constructed, they must both (1) meet their intended water quality (and hydrologic) design goals and (2) not be a public nuisance. Anecdotal observation of CSWs constructed worldwide shows how many well-intended CSW designs fail. Two principal reasons were identified: One appears to be that not enough care was taken to ensure the storm-water wetlands’ normal pool elevation was appropriately shallow (that is, often the elevation of water in CSWs is too deep). The cause has been previously identified by Greenway et al. (2007). The second is clogging of the outlet structure that artificially raises the elevation above normal pool for extended periods of time. In both cases, simple preventative actions could be taken to ensure constructed storm-water wetlands maintain their designed integrity. The purpose of this forum is to document how poor design and inadequate management of two CSWs caused each to effectively become wet ponds, which results in (1) a reduced efficiency in the removal of some pollutants; (2) a degradation of biodiversity, which leads to an increased risk of having the wetlands become mosquito breeding grounds; and (3) degraded aesthetics.