Des Plaines River Communities GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE MAPPING PROJECT Funded by Boeing Lead collaborators: • Illinois Department of Natural Resources • The Field Museum • The Wetlands Initiative • Geosyntec Consultants • Conservation Design Forum • Northeast Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership Chicago Wilderness is a regional alliance leading strategy to preserve, improve, and expand nature and quality of life. By connecting leaders in conservation, health, business, science, and beyond, we tackle challenging issues to ensure a resilient region. Building on a 20-year legacy of Landowners: engaging landowners collaboration, our broad alliance of in conservation actions member organizations advance work Beyond the Choir: building and in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and sustaining a broad, representative, Michigan. and active constituency Data: applying technology and Chicago Wilderness leverages data to accelerate collaboration members’ collective strengths to drive one regional strategy through the following focused eff orts: Using this cross-disciplinary and measurable approach, Chicago Oak Ecosystems: ensuring a future Wilderness addresses critical for oaks and their ecosystems challenges and inspires meaningful Priority Species: conserving a change. We harness adaptive and targeted group of species to benefi t innovative thinking, apply solid our region’s lands and waters science, and connect diverse Water as a Resource: constituencies. addressing regional water issues through conservation action Learn more at: www.chicagowilderness.org The Des Plaines River Communities Project was funded by: [ Table of Contents ] BACKGROUND - Overview 0 3 What is Green Infrastructure? 04 Green Infrastructure Benefits 06 Green Infrastructure & Climate 08 MAPPING PROCESS Mapping the Core Green 12 Infrastructure Network Mapping Opportunity Areas for Localized 15 Green Infrastructure RESULTS Map Products 23 Recommendations 27 RESOURCES & REFERENCES Resources 44 References 46 Acknowledgements 46 APPENDICES Des Plaines River GI Mapping Project | www.chicagowilderness.org 1 background Des Plaines River GI Mapping Project | www.chicagowilderness.org 2 [ Overview ] • City of Park Ridge • City of Prospect Heights • Village of Wheeling This project used the Chicago Wilderness Sustainable Watershed Action Team South Project Area (SWAT) process, to develop cross- • Village of Riverside jurisdictional green infrastructure maps • Village of Brookfield and recommendations for two sub-regions • Village of Lions of the Des Plaines River basin. The goal • Village of North Riverside was to help increase awareness of local • Village of LaGrange Park natural assets and build the foundation for long-term natural resource protection and stewardship through sustainable land-use strategies. The project evaluated green infrastructure at two levels. The first level included the mapping of the existing network of core green infrastructure comprised of public and private open space and natural resources that conserves ecosystem functions, sustains clean air and water, and provides trails and greenways that benefit people and wildlife. The second level involved the delineation of Chicago Wilderness Sustainable Watershed Action Team opportunity areas for the implementation of sustainable localized green infrastructure strategies such as bioretention basins and The Sustainable Watershed Action Team planters, permeable paving, and naturalized (SWAT) was created in 2004 in response to an parks that utilize natural processes to reduce extensive municipal needs assessment watershed impacts to the Des Plaines River, conducted by a Chicago Wilderness (CW) its tributaries, and other aquatic resources as taskforce in conjunction with the Northeastern well as to reduce the nuisance and damage Illinois Planning Commission (now the caused by flooding. Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning). While land-use decisions are made at the STUDY AREA local level, many municipalities and local units The study area for this project includes two of government acknowledge their lack of technical capacity to strengthen their sub-regions within the Des Plaines River planning infrastructure (plans and ordinances) corridor, comprising a total of 13 communities. For reference to map, see and to promote sustainable development and protection of natural resources. Appendix A. SWAT was developed to deliver customized, North Project Area cost effective direct technical assistance in • City of Des Plaines developing local plans, adopting protective • Village of Glenview ordinances, and assisting with other • Village of Mount Prospect sustainability projects. Village of Niles • • Village of Northbrook Des Plaines River GI Mapping Project | www.chicagowilderness.org 3 For information on previous SWAT the goal of supporting biodiversity. projects: Chicago Wilderness defines green infrastructure as: https://chicagowilderness.site- ym.com/?SWATProjects. “The interconnected network of land and water that supports biodiversity and provides habitat for diverse communities of native flora and fauna at the regional scale. It includes [ What is green infrastructure? ] large complexes of remnant woodlands, savannas, prairies, wetlands, lakes, stream Both nationally and regionally, the term corridors and related natural communities. “green infrastructure” has a range of Green infrastructure may also include areas meanings. That range is simplified here adjacent to and connecting these remnant into three categories. Across these natural communities that provide both buffers categories, green infrastructure can also and opportunities for ecosystem restoration.” be conceptualized at four different scales. This definition reflects both existing green LANDSCAPE-BASED GREEN infrastructure – forest preserve and park INFRASTRUCTURE district holdings, state parks, and designated natural areas – as well as opportunities for This is perhaps the meaning most expansion, restoration, and connection. commonly applied to green infrastructure. NATURE-BASED ALTERNATIVES TO GRAY It is based in the idea that certain lands have an inherent value that can be made INFRASTRUCTURE even greater when a part of a network. The Conservation Fund defines it this way: This definition of green infrastructure focuses on nature-based alternatives to Strategically planned and managed networks conventional “gray infrastructure” of natural lands, working landscapes and technology and engineering. other open spaces that conserve ecosystem values and functions and provide associated In this context, green infrastructure can be benefits to human populations. Under this used to describe products, technologies, and definition, the foundation of green practices that use natural systems – or infrastructure networks are the natural engineered systems that mimic natural elements – river corridors, woodlands, processes – to enhance overall environmental wetlands, grasslands – that work together as quality and provide utility services. The U.S. a whole to sustain ecological values and Environmental Protection Agency identifies functions. But green infrastructure also can green infrastructure techniques, such as include working lands, trails and other green roofs, porous pavement, rain gardens, recreational features, and cultural and historic and vegetated swales, which use soils and sites. vegetation to infiltrate, evapotranspirate, and/or recycle stormwater run-off. In addition BIODIVERSITY-BASED GREEN to effectively retaining and infiltrating rainfall, INFRASTRUCTURE these technologies also can filter air pollutants, reduce energy demands, mitigate In its Green Infrastructure Vision, Chicago urban heat islands, and sequester carbon. Wilderness adopts a related meaning for This plan integrates each of these meanings green infrastructure—one that focuses on into a single comprehensive view of green Des Plaines River GI Mapping Project | www.chicagowilderness.org 4 infrastructure. It encourages not only At the Community Scale sustainable land use and open space protection but also innovative, green At the community level, efforts can be made technology to restore and protect water and to incorporate GI maps and other natural resources. recommendations into municipal, county, and park district land use plans and maps. GI This plan emphasizes mapping, protection, principles can be used to shape land use and and restoration of green infrastructure in the zoning maps and provide a framework for very diverse Des Plaines River region. It more sustainable zoning, subdivision, recognizes that implementation of green stormwater, and landscaping codes as well infrastructure plans and policies should be as conservation design ordinances. This can undertaken at multiple spatial scales, from apply to new development as well as small sites to large regions. The figure below redevelopment and capital improvement highlights the range of scales. It also plans. GI principles also can influence land recognizes that effective green infrastructure acquisition and trail priorities of local park and implementation requires coordination and open space agencies. involvement by local governments, other government agencies, private organizations, At the Neighborhood Scale developers, and private landowners in order to maximize the benefits. Neighborhoods, both existing and new, can be transformed to incorporate conservation design principles. This means the subdivision review process includes open space protection, natural landscaping, and stormwater best management practices that preserve