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Blue Cities™ Initiative: National Outreach Partnership Program
Since 2004, CRWA has explored a new urban design paradigm using water as a fundamental planning and development strategy. This effort was formalized with the launch of the Blue Cities™ Initiative in 2006. The Initiative includes efforts to design and construct demonstration projects, to design subwatershed-scale restoration plans, to examine green infrastructure opportunities at the large and small scale, to explore opportunities to repurpose existing infrastructure, and to integrate new approaches to water resources into policies and regulations.
Our goal is to turn vision into practice, using our interdisciplinary staff team to generate ideas and explore concepts, learning from small implementation projects and model simulations, and coordinating our efforts with the small but vital group of urban water visionaries across the country. While our work remains grounded in the Charles River watershed and the cities and towns we have the strongest relationships with, it is exciting to be able to share ideas and collaborate with others in the region and across the country who share our belief that cities can be redesigned to improve the environment, the economy and quality of life.
In 2010 CRWA received some seed money from the Mifflin Memorial Fund to allow us to begin this work. With those funds in hand, CRWA was able to leverage additional funds from River Network, a national river advocacy organization in Portland, Oregon. In late-2010, we began a formal partnership with River Network and ECONorthwest, an environmental economics firm to expand Blue Cities™ work to other regions of the country.
River Network has taken the lead on selecting “opportunity watersheds,” based on their experience working with watershed groups and clean water advocates around the country. Predicated on their understanding of the regulatory and legal contexts, existing grassroots capacity, and political priorities, River Network has selected several cities around the country where Blue Cities concepts are likely to resonate and influence decision-makers. ECONorthwest works primarily in the area of economic analysis and ecosystem services. Their role on the team is to provide quantitative and qualitative analyses of “gray versus green” infrastructure investments, and to help develop the economic arguments in favor of water-centric Blue Cities.™ Using our work in the Charles as a model, CRWA identifies potential areas for restoring natural hydrologic function, and provides the technical skills for data assessment, planning and design, as well as bringing significant outreach and capacity-building experience.
Louisville, Kentucky
In early 2011, following several months of preliminary planning, data collection and assessment, CRWA travelled to Louisville, Kentucky to meet with a number of key players in the region and seek opportunities to implement Blue Cities™ work. These meetings were organized with a diverse mix of watershed groups and organizations, including the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), Louisville Metro (the city government), the Waterfront Development Committee of the Economic Advisory Committee, the University of Louisville, and several watershed associations.
Following up on meetings with the Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) and preliminary analysis of water quality data, sewer infrastructure plans and a variety of mapping analyses, CRWA started work in the Middle Fork of the Beargrass Creek in Louisville.
This subwatershed appears to have significant potential as a pilot project area. There are relatively few combined sewer overflows, and MSD is currently working to reduce those that are active. There is an active volunteer group involved in watershed restoration efforts on Beargrass Creek, and there is a reasonable water quality dataset. The subwatershed also retains significant open space properties, notably some Olmsted-designed parks, with an active park advocacy group interested in looking at the potential role of parks in stormwater remediation.
Louisville is under an agreement with EPA to address combined sewer overflow problems, and part of their plan includes some green infrastructure. This creates an opportunity – and some funding – for newer approaches at the watershed scale. CRWA’s work has been both technical – using GIS, water quality data and historic mapping to understand the area’s natural and manmade hydrology and identify areas of potential Blue Cities™ restoration opportunities – and non-technical, including understanding the political and economic drivers and getting to know some of the area’s key players. Our goal is to develop a series of potential Blue Cities™ projects in the subwatershed of the Middle Fork of the Beargrass Creek, and work with the Louisville Metropolitan Government, MSD, the University of Louisville and the Salt River Watershed Watch to determine whether implementation is feasible. It appears likely that this subwatershed could show relatively rapid in-stream results, and thus provide potential impetus for additional projects in Louisville.
Clinton River Watershed, Michigan
River Network has already begun preliminary discussions with several groups in the southeastern Michigan area, and has received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin outreach and planning efforts in the Clinton River watershed. CRWA will work with the partnership to undertake planning and analysis in this watershed. Our work will entail data collection and analysis, and preliminary identification of  opportunities and potential projects.
Support
This project is made possible in part through the generous support of the River Network.
Updated March 2012 |
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