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Exploring green infrastructure benefits at house and neighborhood scale: case study of Illinois, USA

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Abstract

Recently, the green infrastructure (GI) concept has been adopted by many cities for stormwater management even though doubt still remains as to whether it can be fully embedded into planning and design. As many researchers have stated, GI planning has been discussed as offering a number of broad benefits in ecological, economic, and social spheres. The aim of this study is to examine the benefits of GI which can be used at various ranges of scale to support the principles of low impact development (LID). Case studies of two different scales, site scale and neighborhood scale, have shown ecological, social, and economic benefits of GI. The projects include GI elements and LID strategies such as green roof, rain barrels, porous pavement, rain garden, gravel grass, vegetated swales, and retention basins. The result indicates that GI elements are effective in detaining stormwater and reducing the amount of runoff. Native prairie grasses, sedges, and plantings also improved habitat value and led to a noticeable increase in birds, bees, and butterflies. The GI project provided outdoor activities, promoted social interaction, and showed a positive effect on economic spheres as well. Quantification of these benefits is important for landscape architects, planners, and policy makers because it can provide better strategies for GI planning.

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Photo d and e from Marcus de la fleur (2005)

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Notes

  1. Technical Release 55 (TR55) issued by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) presents procedures to calculate storm runoff volume, peak rate of discharge, hydrographs, and storage volumes required for floodwater reservoirs. These procedures are applicable in small watersheds, especially urbanizing watersheds, in the USA.

  2. WinTR-55 Small Watershed Hydrology computer model is a Windows-based program developed by Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for analysis of the hydrology of the small watershed system.

  3. Surface storage of runoff = (surface area of soil/planting mix) × (average depth) = 186 m2 × 0.2 m = 37.20 m3.

  4. Subsurface void volume = (surface area of soil/planting mix) × (depth of soil/planting mix) × (void % of soil/planting mix) + (surface area of gravel base) × (depth of gravel base) × (void % of gravel base) = (186 m2 × 0.6 m × 0.7) + (186 m2 × 0.15 m × 0.4) = 89.28 m3.

  5. 0.093 ac × 0.7 C/ac/year = 0.0651 metric tons.

  6. Construction cost/capacity of rainwater retention = $2100/5.7 m3 = $368/m3.

  7. Runoff volume = catchment area × 24-h rainfall amount for 100-year return period = 337,912 m2 × 0.1679 m = 56,735 m3.

  8. Construction cost/capacity of rainwater retention = $10,700,000/57,973 m3 = $185/m3.

  9. Construction cost/capacity of rainwater retention = $51,000,000/273,833 m3 = $186/m3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kongju National University, Gongju, Republic of Korea

    Jinki Kim

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  1. Jinki Kim
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Correspondence to Jinki Kim.

Appendix

Appendix

Plants

Scientific name

Common name

Symphyotrichum laeve

Smooth Blue Aster

Symphyotrichum oolentangiense

Sky Blue Aster

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

New England Aster

Coreopsis lanceolata

Sand Coreopsis

Coreopsis tripteris

Tall Coreopsis

Echinacea pallida

Pale Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

Purple Coneflower

Geranium maculatum

Wild Geranium

Lespedeza capitata

Round-Headed Bush Clover

Liatris aspera

Rough Blazing Star

Liatris pycnostachya

Prairie Blazing Star

Monarda Fistulosa

Wild Bergamot

Parthenium integrifolium

Wild Quinine

Penstemon digitalis

Foxglove Beard Tongue

Petalostemum purpureum

Purple Prairie Clover

Physostegia virginiana

Obedient Plant

Ratibida pinnata

Gray-Headed Coneflower

Rudbeckia hirta

Black-Eyed Susan

Silphium laciniatum

Compass Plant

Solidago speciosa

Showy Goldenrod

Zizia aurea

Golden Alexanders

Carex bicknellii

Copper-Shouldered Oval sedge

Carex radiata

Straight-Styled Wood Sedge

Hystrix patula

Bottlebrush Grass

Panicum virgatum

Switchgrass

Schizachyrium scoparium

Little Bluestem Grass

Sorghastrum nutans

Indian Grass

Uniola latifolia

Spike Grass

Bouteloua curtipendula

Side-Oats Grama

Insects/bird

Scientific name

Common name

Papilio glaucus

Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar

Manduca sexta

Tobacco Caterpillar

Mantis religiosa

Praying Mantis

Enallagma cyathigerum

Damselfly

Vanessa atalanta

Red Admiral Butterfly

Papilio polyxenes

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Danaus plexippus

Monarch Butterfly

Apis mellifera

Honey Bee

Zale lunata

Lunate Zale Moth

Orchelimum nigripes

Black-legged Meadow Katydid

Melanoplus differentialis

Differential Grasshopper

Tibicen canicularis

Dog-day Cicada

Spinus tristis

Goldfinch

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Kim, J. Exploring green infrastructure benefits at house and neighborhood scale: case study of Illinois, USA. Landscape Ecol Eng 14, 165–174 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-017-0331-0

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