Measuring the Benefit of Green Infrastructure through the Development of Alternative Policy Scenarios

Abstract

Detroit, Michigan, like other post-industrial cities, has the potential to convert vacant land into green infrastructure to support a shrinking population with strained infrastructure by reducing the overall amount of storm water entering sewer infrastructure. Alternative green infrastructure policies were developed that attempt to support what Joan Nassauer defines as “cues to care” to achieve normative goals that seek to perform, in addition to storm water management benefits, social and ecological benefits. Each of these normative policies resulted in a unique spatial pattern of green infrastructure development within the Cody Rouge neighborhood of Detroit. This study analyzes changes in storm water runoff capture capability of the resulting green infrastructure networks created by these alternative green infrastructure policies for the Cody Rouge neighborhood. Modest variations were found when comparing storm water runoff capture of the different policies. This study suggests that normative goals that seek to support ecological and social issues are able to be implemented within green infrastructure planning and design and that this integrated design may be necessary for shrinking cities to more holistically support its residents that live within highly vacant areas.