Green Infrastructure for Public Libraries Prioritization & Intentional Site Selection for Multiple Community Benefits. Dylan Hammond Sustainable Environmental Systems Pratt Institute - 2017 Advisors: Prof. Jaime Stein & Alec Appelbaum 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The following individuals have contributed greatly to the de- velopment of this capstone project and I would like to thank them for their continual support throughout the entire process. Jaime Stein Head of Program, M.S. Sustainable Environmental Systems Programs for Sustainable Planning & Development Graduate School of Architecture Pratt Institute Alec Appelbaum Assistant Professor Programs for Sustainable Planning & Development Graduate School of Architecture Pratt Institute Alex Mikszewski PE, EMIT Energy Manager Capital Planning & Facilities Management Brooklyn Public Library Also, special thanks to my colleagues in the Pratt Sustainable Envi- ronmental Systems program for their continual feedback and sup- port. Miguel Diaz Sulekha Gangopadhyay Adrienne Downey Manjusha Patnaik Catherine Yuhas Nikita Abdullah Dhwani Dave Cover Photo Credit : MNLA - https://www.mnlandscape.com/uploads/300003/1478113324132/6_Brooklyn_Library-overview_planter-M-web-1400-xxx_q85.jpg 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction…………………………………………………………………….…3 Background…………………………………………………………………….6-9 DEP, DEC & CSOs Existing Conditions Opportunities Client Profile…………………………………………………………………..…10 Brooklyn Public Library Overview…………………………………………………………………..…11-14 Stakeholders GI Co-benefits Case Studies……………………………………………………..………….16-21 Space To Grow, Chicago GISP, Detroit BPL GI Priortization ......……………………………………………………..…22 Co-benefits & EJ indicators Metrics & Monitoring ………………………………………………………….27 Existing Metrics Recommendations …………………………………………………………...28 Effective Implementation Collaborative Community Design Process Continuous Engagement Conclusion……………………………………………………………..............29 References………………………………………………….…………....….30-31 Cover Photo Credit : MNLA - https://www.mnlandscape.com/uploads/300003/1478113324132/6_Brooklyn_Library-overview_planter-M-web-1400-xxx_q85.jpg 3 INTRODUCTION As the New York City Department of Developing community-based green infra- Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Green Infra- structure plans, focused on the many addi- structure program expands into its 7th year of tional co-benefits and ecosystem services implementation, the driving force behind the of green infrastructure such as improved air program is still singular in its focus on stormwa- quality, urban heat reduction, and energy ef- ter mitigation. Like many other U.S. Cities, New ficiency could have a significant impact on York City utilizes a combined sewer system public health and sustainability within NYC. (CSS) that handles both sewage and storm- water simultaneously. The unfortunate result The understanding and leveraging of these of a CSS is that during heavy storm events the co-benefits and the ecosystem services of capacity of sewage treatment plants is over- green infrastructure is especially important wheled, leading to sewage overflows into lo- to one of Brooklyn’s oldest educational insti- cal waterways. tutions, the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL). The BPL system and it’s Energy Manager, Alex In NYC the need for reducing stormwater that Mikszewski are currently in the process of as- eventually combines with sewage to over- sessing branch locations for capital improve- flow into local waterways exists as a perpetu- ments and building maintenance upgrades ally critical issue. The mandate for stormwater which could potentially include green infra- reduction has historically been applied in a structure elements depending on the range top-down structure, with the singular priority of benefits. focus of mitigating combined sewer over- flows (CSO). However it is unclear how much It is important for institutions, like the Brooklyn of a priority stormwater and combined sewer Public Library, to have the most comprehen- overflow (CSO) reduction is for the commu- sive information available when making crit- nities that are hosts for green infrastructure ical capital improvement decisions. The pur- projects. The information made available to pose of this capstone is to explore, in depth the public about the necessity of green in- ,the opportunities and resources that exist frastructure has not always been cohesive or to achieve a successful green infrastructure directly connected to benefits realized within program that is collaborative, community ori- local communities. ented and successful over the long term at achieving institutional and community goals. While green infrastructure can be an effec- THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS CAPS tive tool in mitigating combined sewer over- flows, a problem that has plagued U.S. cities for decades, there is a growing need to lever- age the effectiveness of green infrastructure in tackling the diverse environmental chal- lenges facing the future of New York City. In- creasing pressure from anticipated climate change impacts on New York City and its in- habitants should play a more significant role in driving the way green infrastructure is pro- moted, measured and monitored . 4 THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS CAPSTONE PROJECT IS TO: 1. Provide a framework for the drivers of on-site green infrastruc- ture, like BPL, to prioritize site selection that is open, transparent and based on maximizing co-benefits and providing necessary ecosystem services. 2. In using this framework, provide guidelines and examples for an inclusive, community engagement strategy for the implementa- tion of green infrastructure at selected priority locations. By effectively targeting branches through the lens of co-benefits and ecosystem services we can meet the energy goals of the client (BPL), the storm water goals of the city (DEP) and the environmental justice goals of the community. 5 GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE BACKGROUND municipalities in the U.S. has led to infrastruc- tures inability to process the large volumes The concept of Green Infrastructure of combined sewage that come with heavy (GI) has taken hold over the past decade rains. This problem is magnified with the in- as a valuable tool in urban planning for ad- crease and severity of rain storms from the dressing socio-economic, environmental and intensifying effects of climate change. storm-water issues (Mell, 2015). Green Infra- structure, as it is referred to in this proposal Green Infrastructure attempts to deal with the and as it is described by the literature, can issue of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) by be considered more specifically as: mitigating or infiltrating stormwater before it enters the sewer system, allowing for an over- all reduction of CSO volume and a reduction “techniques that use soils and vegetation in the need for new expensive sewer infra- to infiltrate, evapotranspire, and/or recycle structure. stormwater runoff” (EPA, 2017). As green infrastructure has been implement- Green Infrastructure technology is generally ed, monitored and studied in municipalities considered a form of Low Impact Develop- across the US and Europe it has been wide- ment (LID), in opposition to more intensive in- ly accepted that, in addition to addressing frastructure development options such as the stormwater runoff issues, GI has the potential instillation of new sewage and stormwater in- to produce a myriad of co-benefits for the frastructure. residents of the cities in which it is implement- ed. These additional benefits include, but Municipalities across the United States are are not limited to, increased quality of life, re- faced with the growing problem of Com- duced urban heat island effect, improved air bined Sewer Overflows. This is a discharge quality, flood mitigation, promotion of social of stormwater combined with untreated interaction, increased property values and sewage into surrounding waterways during sales for commercial corridors and reduced heavy rain events. The regular use of com- energy costs (Meerow & Newell, 2017). bined sewer and stormwater infrastructure by COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOW (CSO) Fig. 1 Diagram showing mechanisms of a combined sewer overflow (CSO) (American Rivers, ASLA , 2012) 6 NYC GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE NYC Green Infrastructure 2015 ANNUAL REPORT 2014 Annual Report Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio Mayor Mayor Emily Lloyd Emily Lloyd Commissioner Commissioner 2014 Green Infrastructure Annual Report 1 Fig. 2 - GI Infrastructure Plan Fig. 3 - 2014 GI Annual Re- Fig. 4 - 2015 GI Annual Re- (DEP, 2010) port (DEP, 2014) port (DEP, 2015) In light of these co-benefits supporting com- A unique aspect of the Consent Order be- munity health and environmental health, the tween DEC and DEP is that it allows for an concept of green infrastructure placement adaptive management approach, by setting has been reconsidered as an environmen- benchmarks for achieving specified reduc- tal justice (EJ) issue and selection criteria for tions in stormwater runoff, while leaving the where GI is implemented is beginning to con- strategy and technologies used for reaching sider the EJ concerns of local communities these goals up to the discretion of DEP (DEC, (Heckert, Et Al 2016). 2012). The process of selecting specific Brooklyn In this way, as specific approaches and GI Public Library Branches to maximize the im- technologies are deployed, monitored and pact of these co-benefits for Brooklyn Com- measured, the DEP can shift and adopt new munities will be explored in detail later with strategies for stormwater reductions based the development of a multi-user