Foreword
There are a multitude of environmental issues created by traditional urban design systems. One major issue facing urban and suburban areas is the Urban Heat Island Syndrome. An urban heat island is the effect of built environment and human activity on ambient air temperature. Basically, concrete and asphalt structures with human activity can absorb high levels of heat from the sun. According to the EPA, buildings and pavements can heat up to 90oF hotter than the air; then in the evening, the surfaces radiate that heat back into the air heating it as much as 22oF. These increased temperatures have harmful effects on air quality, water quality, and sensitive individuals, such as, children and the elderly. Another important issue faced by the environment is the degradation of water quality resulting from runoff crossing urban areas. A myriad of …show more content…
This means LID is a system which replaces the environmentally harmful urban designs with alternative designs impacting the environment less, thus, low impact development. Replacing all traditional urban designs, such as, storm drains, roads, buildings, parking lots, and residents is a daunting and near impossible task. However, as systems decay over time they can be replaced with modern and environmentally compatible practices. Most LID designs are meant for stormwater management; however, a complete guide to stormwater management is already available at the city website here. This guide is broken into sections based on: the part of the property the LID design applies to, incentives offered in other cities, and local companies which can help you to transform your business into a self sustaining local staple of the community. Websites used to create this document are also included in the
There are a multitude of environmental issues created by traditional urban design systems. One major issue facing urban and suburban areas is the Urban Heat Island Syndrome. An urban heat island is the effect of built environment and human activity on ambient air temperature. Basically, concrete and asphalt structures with human activity can absorb high levels of heat from the sun. According to the EPA, buildings and pavements can heat up to 90oF hotter than the air; then in the evening, the surfaces radiate that heat back into the air heating it as much as 22oF. These increased temperatures have harmful effects on air quality, water quality, and sensitive individuals, such as, children and the elderly. Another important issue faced by the environment is the degradation of water quality resulting from runoff crossing urban areas. A myriad of …show more content…
This means LID is a system which replaces the environmentally harmful urban designs with alternative designs impacting the environment less, thus, low impact development. Replacing all traditional urban designs, such as, storm drains, roads, buildings, parking lots, and residents is a daunting and near impossible task. However, as systems decay over time they can be replaced with modern and environmentally compatible practices. Most LID designs are meant for stormwater management; however, a complete guide to stormwater management is already available at the city website here. This guide is broken into sections based on: the part of the property the LID design applies to, incentives offered in other cities, and local companies which can help you to transform your business into a self sustaining local staple of the community. Websites used to create this document are also included in the