Green Streets - A Conceptual Guide To Effective Green Streets Design Solutions
Green Streets - A Conceptual Guide To Effective Green Streets Design Solutions
Green Streets - A Conceptual Guide To Effective Green Streets Design Solutions
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Green Reserve of 2009, through the State Revolving Fund,
provides funding for a wide variety of qualifying projects in the categories of: green infrastructure, energy efficiency,
Green
water efficiency, and other innovative projects. For more information on ARRA, to find out if your current or future
planned project meets the necessary criteria, and how to apply, visit www.Recovery.gov.
Green Streets
a conceptual guide to
effective Green Streets
design solutions
Residential Streets
Commercial Streets
Arterial Streets
Alleys
G re e n S tre e ts | 1
Green Streets www.Recovery.gov
within the street right-of-way itself—the edges of while not affecting existing trees. This
residential street example illustrates how
stormwater curb extensions can be easily
naturally filter runoff and
Street tree
Conventional landscape
Sidewalk
the street can be built to allow stormwater to flow retrofitted alongside the existing curb
line. Runoff from the street can simply
On-street parking
require less maintenance
into a landscape area, or space within the paved
enter these landscape areas and overflow
into the existing drain inlets. Because
this street has a lot of unused on-street Figure 5-6: EXISTING: A typical low-density residential
than turf grass.
parking, installing curb extensions would street in Covington.
area of the street can be converted to landscape, not take away needed parking. With the
new stormwater curb extensions and Two-way car travel
20’ minimum
Stormwater curb
Many streets extensions
in Northern Kentucky could
be retroffited with stormwater curb
extensions that could contain rain gardens
SOURCE: NEVUE NGAN ASSOCIATES
Conventional curb
while notextensions
affecting existing trees. This
chokers, or retrofitted
chicanes)alongside
have the existing curb
been used line.
for decades
enhance pedestrian
help in traffic
to the street can simply
Runoff from
enter these safety
landscape
andareas and overflow
into the existing drain inlets. Because
Residential Streets
Typical Street
Figure 5-7: RETROFIT OPPORTUNITY: Same residential street retrofitted with stormwater curb extensions.
Opportunity Implementation
5.1
thiscalming.
street has a lot of unused on-street Figure 5-6: EXISTING: A typical low-density residential
Figure 5-9: A pair of stormwater curb extensions used in a residential street’s parking zone in Portland, Oregon.
Vegetated
43
Figure 5-7: RETROFIT OPPORTUNITY: Same residential street retrofitted with stormwater curb extensions.
R e si d e n ti al S tre e ts | 2
Figure 5-20: Pervious Paving in Parking Zone-Plan View
stormwater to absorb into the Figure 5-19: RETROFIT OPPORTUNITY: Same residential street retrofitted with pervious paving in the parking zone
of the street.
ground, which reduces the Existing driveway Pervious pavers
amount of runoff without any Figure 5-18: EXISTING: A typical urban residential ImplementIng green Infrastructure In northern kentucky communItIes 49
Conventional On-street parking Concrete band,
loss of parking on the street. street in Covington,.
landscape 48 Stormwater management Handbook
flush with pavers
5.1
uninterrupted stretches of landsc
SOURCE: SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES
Swales areswales
long,forshallow
lawn in the planting strips, with
streets have long stretches of right
a curbless condition to allow water to
vegetated depressions,
sheet flow into the
a slight longitudinal
with
slope.
swales (see Figure 5-Residential Streets SOURCE: NEVUE NGAN ASSOCIATES
is underused.
15). These design changes could provide On an existing street:
As watersignificant stormwater
flows through the management area,
reducing
swale, it is slowedthebyneedthe for a larger facility to •
Look for long, unplanted, unus
treat all the runoff from this development Figure 5-14 EXISTING: A new residential street in strips or planting strips betwee
interaction withlocation.
in one plantsFigure
and 5-16 and Figure 5- Lewes,Existing
Delaware. Opportunity Implementation
Figure 4-27: A residential street with a stormwater
swale. sidewalk and the street.
• Can turn lanes be removed, tr
soil, allowing sediments
17 show additional options for using swales Figure 5-15: RETROFIT OPPORTUNITY: Same residential street using vegetated swales in the street’s planting strips.
moved to center, and swales a
depending
and pollutants on how
to settle streets are crowned
out. sides?
(See Appendix C). • Is there a way to move that w
Water soaks into the soil and
Same residential street retrofitted S t o r m w a t e r m a n a g e m e n t H a n d bVegetated swale on one A mid-block pedestrian
surface rather than in a pipe?
ure 5-19: RETROFIT OPPORTUNITY: Sidewalkwith pervious paving in the parking zone side of the street
46 ook
is taken up by plants, and • Can travel lanes on a particula
access point provides
he street. may infiltrate further into narrowed?
access to the sidewalk
SOURCE: NEVUE NGAN ASSOCIATES
SOURCE: NEVUE NGAN ASSOCIATES
R e si d e n ti al S tre e ts | 3
Green Streets www.Recovery.gov
This design adds stormwater planters to improve the look and feel Two-way
of a community.
Stormwater
his design adds stormwater Planters
planters to
e added to the furnishing zone while
SOURCE: NEVUE NGAN ASSOCIATES
etaining on-street
Plantersparking. A bandland- of
Two-way
car travel
Reduced
Stormwater entry/exit Pedestrian egress zone pedestrian
curb cut crossing
distance
SOURCE: NEVUE NGAN ASSOCIATES
re 5-27: RETROFIT OPPORTUNITY: Same commercial street retrofitted with a series of stormwater planters. Co m m e rci al S tre e ts | 4
can add more landscaping to the street
SOURCE: CONTExTSENSITIVESOLUTIONS.ORG
common in cities in Northern
Kentucky. One green street design
car travel
Curb Extensions and Pervious
Paving in Parallel Parking Zone
Shorter
The curb extensions shown for residential
streets in Section 5.1 can also be adapted crossing
distance for
5.2 Commercial Main Streets Figure 5-40: Combination of Pervious Paving and Curb Extensions in Parking Zone-Plan
SOURCE: NEVUE NGAN ASSOCIATES
Recent
tormwater curb
to accommodate street trees.
Figure 5-43: RETROFIT OPPORTUNITY: Same commercial street with
advances in permeable
extensions.
Figure two
Commercial
Existing
street
5-38: angled
California.
EXISTING:parking
A typical stalls
with on-street parking inMain
converted
San Mateo Streets
commercial main into
County, Opportunity Implementation
Figure 5-41: This urban street in Portland, Oregon uses pervious paving in its parking zone and could have provided more
stormwater management by adding stormwater curb extensions.
5.2
paving technologies now Figure 5-39: RETROFIT OPPORTUNITY: Same commercial street with pervious paving in the parking zone and
make many appropriate for stormwater curb extensions.
ImplementIng green Infrastructure In northern kentucky communItIes 59
higher speeds or where large, Sidewalk
heavy vehicles are expected On-steet parking 58 Stormwater
Stormwater curb extension Pervious pavers
management Handbook
o r m w a ttoebe
r parked—areas
managem e nast H a n d b o o k
such Bicycle lane Concrete band, Street tree
flush with paving
loading zones and bus stops.
Shorter
crossing
distance for
I m p l e m e n t I n g g r e e n I n f r a s t r u c t u r e I n n o r t h e r n k e n t u c k y c o mpedestrians
munItIes 61
Figure 5-39: RETROFIT OPPORTUNITY: Same commercial street with pervious paving in the parking zone and
stormwater curb extensions.
Figure 5-40: Combination of Pervious Paving and Curb Extensions in Parking Zone-Plan
Green
Co m m e rci al S tre e ts | 5
Green Streets www.Recovery.gov
streets, makingThis
Arterial Streets and Boulevards themis another example of how by
more “multi-modal” a typical
four- or two-lane highway could be
a bike lane, sidewalk, safety buffer, and on the drainage four- pattern of the
or two-lane roadway,
highway could be
Figure 5-56: Stormwater side swale with bike lanes on
Street trees
Some arterials may not have
landscape space in place Side swale
Sidewalk
but do have travel lanes or
paved shoulders that can be
narrowed to create space for Street trees
swales. Side swale
Sidewalk
Bike lane
Bike lane
SOURCE: NEVUE NGAN ASSOCIATES
A r te r i al S tre e ts | 6
Green Streets www.Recovery.gov
5.2
alongside buildings can make the alley a
more attractive. Swales and planters can
Permeable Paving Residential Alley Swales uses pervious concrete with a distinctive
Putting garages behind homes makes
street more pedestrian friendly, and the
serpentine
the valley gutter that collects any
Alleys are typically low-speed architectural detail of the home overflow runoff. Simply greening the space
only the middle section needs the street has a low traffic volume. Access
across the swale for cars and pedestrians
to be permeable. can be provided by either a culvert or
Residential Alley Swales small bridge.
a way
enhances thethat water streetscape,
overall flows to the but also
side, then stormwater can be
allows accommodated
a more contiguous landscape area
by simply
along the streetedges
greening frontage
of theand
alleyfront yards.
with swales and planters. Typical
Figure alley
5-22: EXISTING: An alley in Opportunity
a new residential Implementation
Figure 5-23: RETROFIT OPPORTUNITY: Same residential alley retrofitted with side stormwater swales.
A lle y s | 7