Low Impact Development
Finding Common Ground: Can Engineers, Developers & Conservationists Work Together for a Green Future?
Highlights and Presentations from the 2010 Our Woodland Legacy Symposium
Podcasts of the presentations are available here.
"We're All in This Together - Achieving Sustainability through Partnerships"
Doug Mensing, Applied Ecological Services, Prior Lake, MN
Doug addressed how “green” practices contribute to balance and sustainability in the economic, human, and natural environments, and how policy decisions impact this balance.
Sustainability Policy and Practice: What’s Happening in Iowa?
Lynnae Hentzen, Director, Center on Sustainable Communities
Learning From Each Other Locally – Lynnae reviewed highlights of some green infrastructure best practices currently being implemented right here in Iowa. This included an overview of some Iowa collaborative projects that incorporate sustainable elements for the betterment of the community
Iowa's Smart Planning Legislation
Les Beck, Director, Linn County Planning and Development
Les provided an overview of Iowa’s Smart Planning legislation and the recommendations of the state Smart Planning Task Force to implement the legislation, and offered his thoughts on ways the new legislative framework can support green infrastructure planning.
The Sustainable Dubuque Plan
Laura Carstens, Dubuque Planning Services Manager
In 2006, the Dubuque Mayor and City Council identified sustainability as a top priority and created a community task force to further define the Sustainable Dubuque initiative. The task force included representatives from a broad cross-section of community entities, and developed a vision statement, principles, and a sustainability model that is focused on economic prosperity, environmental integrity, and social-cultural vibrancy. Their work influenced the activities of the government, private sector, schools, non-profits, and individuals in their homes. The Sustainable Dubuque Plan is now the focus of the community and guides the integration and future-focus of all planning efforts in the City and throughout the tri-states.
The Principles of Low Impact Development: Making Our Watersheds More Absorbant (Trees Forever and Hall & Hall Engineering)
The presenters reviewed the wide array of impact reduction and site design techniques that allowed engineers and planners to create stormwater control mechanisms that function in a manner similar to that of nature’s mechanisms. Such Low Impact Development practices call for smaller development footprints which in turn lessens impacts to forested sites. The true value of trees for our society, often overlooked in site planning, were explained within this workshop as well. A specific local development designed according to low impact principles was reviewed, to show how these principles were applied.
Green Infrastructure: Integrating Natural Systems in the Built Environment
Every day millions of gallons of stormwater are diverted to our rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands through a large network of pipes, concrete channels, drainage ditches and other networks of “grey” infrastructure. This workshop reviewed specific case studies that focused on the implementation and construction of integrated natural systems in urban, suburban or rural environments.
