REENGAGING THE LAND AT THE GEORGE W.BUSH PRESIDENTIAL CENTER

In planning the George W.Bush Presidential Center in Dallas,Texas,former First Lady Laura Bush presented a very clear vision of what the Center should epitomize:“Because George was the first president of the new millennium,I wanted it to be forward and modern.”1 For the president and Mrs.Bush this meant making the building and landscape environmentally responsible,beautiful,and welcoming.In particular,their love of native Texas landscapes was an important framework for transforming the project’s urban site into a park that was sustainable and experientially rich for visitors.Sustainability was addressed from the start with smart planning that privileged contiguous parkland over impermeable surfaces and structures.Simultaneous consideration of every landscape component—-stormwater,plants,soil,topography,and more—netted cohesive natural systems that are better able to succeed with short-term establishment and provide enduring long-term health,the ultimate goals for a sustainable landscape.

DESIGNING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY: ONTARIO CASE STUDIES FOR RETROFITS AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS

The Low Impact Development (LID) approach has been implemented worldwide for managing stormwater quantity and quality within the context of land development, re-development, and retrofits within an existing development site. Since the inception of the concept in the 1990s, the application of LID has covered different land uses, spatial scales, and environmental objectives, leading to an expanded vision for applying and testing the LID approach. Recently, holistic methodologies and frameworks have linked land planning to key ecological landscapes larger than the previous site scale practice. This new emerging paradigm considers the watershed, subwatershed, and neighbourhood, in addition to the site scale, and consequently, recommends a landscape-based LID and broader Green Infrastructure (GI) solutions (Benedict and McMahon, 2002;Tzoulas et al, 2007;NRDC, 2011). As part of the holistic understanding of land planning and environmental features and functions within the intended spatial scale, LID and GI measures have been designed and constructed as retrofit measures (i.e., measures implemented within existing development) and as measures implemented within new development areas. Under this new paradigm, the land planning context is linked to environmental objectives to provide end points for environmental conservation and restoration within an ecological landscape such as watersheds, subwatersheds, and stream corridors. This paper presents three case studies for the design and construction of LID and GI measures within different land use contexts and for providing multiple environmental objectives.

The development of roadside green swales in the Chinese Sponge City Program:Challenges and opportunities

Roadside green swales have emerged as popular stormwater management infrastructure in urban areas,serving to mitigate stormwater pollution and reduce urban surface water discharge.However,there is a limited understanding of the various types,structures,and functions of swales,as well as the potential challenges they may face in the future.In recent years,China has witnessed a surge in the adoption of roadside green swales,especially as part of the prestigious Sponge City Program(SCP).These green swales play a crucial role in controlling stormwater pollution and conserving urban water resources by effectively removing runoff pollutants,including suspended solids,nitrogen,and phosphorus.This review critically examines recent research findings,identifies key knowledge gaps,and presents future recommendations for designing green swales for effective stormwater management,with a particular emphasis on ongoing major Chinese infrastructure projects.Despite the growing global interest in bioswales and their significance in urban development,China's current classification of such features lacks a clear definition or specific consideration of bioswales.Furthermore,policymakers have often underestimated the adverse environmental effects of road networks,as reflected in existing laws and planning documents.This review argues that the construction and maintenance of roadside green swales should be primarily based on three critical factors:Wellthought-out road planning,suitable construction conditions,and sustainable long-term funding.The integration of quantitative environmental standards into road planning is essential to effectively address the challenge of pollution from rainfall runoff.To combat pollution associated with roads,a comprehensive assessment of potential pollution loadings should be carried out,guiding the appropriate design and construction of green swales,with a particular focus on addressing the phenomenon of first flush.One of the major challenges faced in sustaining funds for ongoing maintenance after swale construction.To address this issue,the implementation of a green finance platform is proposed.Such a platform would help ensure the availability of funds for continuous maintenance,thus maximizing the long-term effectiveness of green swales in stormwater management.Ultimately,the findings of this review aim to assist municipal governments in enhancing and implementing future urban road designs and SCP developments,incorporating effective green swale strategies.