Search for: All records

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is advocated for its potential to provide multiple ecosystem services, including stormwater runoff mitigation, wildlife habitat, and aesthetic value. However, the provision of these ecosystem services depends on both facility design and maintenance, which may vary based on whether GSI was installed to fulfill regulatory construction permit requirements or implemented voluntarily as part of urban greening initiatives. We evaluated 76 GSI facilities distributed across Baltimore, MD, USA, comprising 48 voluntary and 28 regulatory facilities. Each facility was scored on indicators related to the provision of stormwater, habitat, and aesthetic ecosystem services. Ecosystem service scores were highly variable, reflecting a wide range of quality and condition, but we found no significant differences between scores for regulatory and voluntary GSI. However, voluntary GSI scores tended to be higher in areas with greater socioeconomic status, while regulatory facilities showed an inverse relationship. Our findings indicate that GSI facilities can degrade quickly, and that official maintenance requirements for regulatory facilities do not guarantee upkeep. Regulatory requirements did have better outcomes in areas with lower socioeconomic status, though. Degraded GSI facilities may do more harm than good, becoming both unsightly and ineffective at providing intended stormwater or habitat benefits. 

Much of the green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, has been installed voluntarily by nonprofits and community groups, yet no comprehensive record of these installations previously existed. We worked with nonprofit stakeholders and Baltimore’s Department of Public Works to compile such a record, using both information provided by these agencies and publicly available data sources such as annual reports and newspaper articles. This dataset includes all voluntary green stormwater infrastructure projects that we were able to identify by the end of 2019, with the first known installation completed in 2001. The dataset includes two data tables, one with project-level information, and one with the locations of individual GSI facilities included in each project.