Strategic Green Infrastructure Planning: A Multi-Scale Approach, a national book, is now available from Island Press. Written by Karen Firehock and Andrew Walker, the book draws from their field experience in 20 projects in multiple states. They explain how to assess, map and prioritize natural assets as part of our ‘green infrastructure’ to help communities protect clean air and water, provide for recreation, reduce traffic and make better-informed decisions about where and how to grow.
A lecture and book signing event will be held Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, at Troutman Sanders in Richmond, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. For reservations and more information, visit gicinc.org/events.htm.
The book covers conservation efforts from New York to Virginia to Arizona and explains why green infrastructure is becoming a priority for cities, counties and states across America. Recognition of the need to manage our natural assets—trees, soils, water and habitats—as part of our green infrastructure is vital to creating livable places and healthful landscapes.
GIC Director Karen Firehock said, “Decisions about landscape management help determine community priorities for where to invest money, where to grow and which lands to conserve. They should be informed by the best available data.”
Strategic Green Infrastructure Planning provides a field-tested, six-step approach for identifying natural assets and then determining what is at risk from sources such as development or pollution, and what strategies to undertake to ensure the best lands are protected.
Firehock said, “Even in urban areas, natural resources, such as tree canopy, should be mapped because they protect our air and water quality, reduce energy costs and increase property values and public health. When we don’t know what resources we have, their extent or their condition, we risk
losing them. Much of the work covered in the book was funded by the Virginia Department of Forestry and the USDA Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forests Program.
Strategic Green Infrastructure Planning addresses the nuts and bolts of planning and preserving natural assets at a variety of scales—from dense urban environments to scenic rural landscapes. For planners, elected officials, developers, conservationists, foresters and others interested in the creation and maintenance of open space lands and urban green infrastructure projects or promoting a healthy economy, this book offers a comprehensive yet flexible approach to conceiving, refining and implementing successful projects. It also helps communities promote the idea of green infrastructure as Chapter Six shows how to make the case and develop key messages, while Chapter Seven provides technical instructions for how to build models of the best habitat for any state.
Firehock said, “People who are concerned about the economy and jobs should be paying attention to green infrastructure. The creative class, which includes artists, media personnel, marketers, lawyers and analysts, makes up 30 percent of the U.S. workforce, and they place a premium on having outdoor recreation and access to nature. Additionally, small companies, especially those that have a well-paid and skilled workforce, are looking for places offering a greener community. Green infrastructure maps and plans can help localities create better futures by creating a healthier environment that fosters a strong economy.”
To order the book visit: islandpress.org/book/strategic-green-infrastructure-planning.
Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 800 titles in print and some 40 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues.
Founded in 2006, the Green Infrastructure Center is a nonprofit organization that assists communities in developing strategies for protecting and conserving their ecological and cultural assets. The GIC conducts research, land-use planning and land assessment and mapping to provide the suite of tools needed by communities to protect and restore green assets. For more information visit www.gicinc.org.
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