Green Streets to Serve Urban Sustainability: Benefits and Typology
Abstract
Urbanization and climate change have impacted the ecosystems of US cities. Impervious
surfaces in the urbanized areas are a critical issue for both challenges and green infrastructure and
can be an alternative solution to achieve urban sustainability. Green infrastructure protects urban
ecosystems by reducing imperviousness by treating stormwater runoff and providing
other multifaceted benefits. However, even with the great potential, its adoption is still discouraged
due to limited understanding and guidance especially for the cities with a growth-driven policy.
This paper proposes that green infrastructure, particularly green streets in relation to impervious
surfaces, can deliver urban sustainability by providing a better understanding to promote the
acceptance and successful adoption of green streets through literature review and case studies in
the US. Green streets are primarily implemented within the right-of-way and facilitate storm water
treatment along with diverse street designs providing multiple benefits such as flood management,
wildlife habitat and natural pathway creation, neighborhood beautification, cost-effective solutions,
and more. The defined green street typology in this paper is an important tool for communicating
among planners and the public by providing form-based standardized classification. Green streets
can be utilized as a sustainable development approach, fulfilling a variety of environmental, social,
and economic objectives. **Please note that the full text is embargoed**