(→==) |
|||
Line 176: | Line 176: | ||
*I don’t know / not specified (0 pts) | *I don’t know / not specified (0 pts) | ||
− | ==== | + | ====Vegetated areas==== |
For new residential lots, does your community require or encourage impervious surfaces like roofs and drive ways to drain to vegetated areas? (Select one) | For new residential lots, does your community require or encourage impervious surfaces like roofs and drive ways to drain to vegetated areas? (Select one) | ||
*Required (3 pts) | *Required (3 pts) | ||
Line 183: | Line 183: | ||
*I don’t know / not specified (0 pts) | *I don’t know / not specified (0 pts) | ||
+ | ====Vegetated practices==== | ||
Does your community require or encourage parking area landscaping with vegetated practices (e.g. bioretention, curb-cuts, ribbon curb, tree trenches, or swales) for stormwater volume and/or water quality management? (Select one) | Does your community require or encourage parking area landscaping with vegetated practices (e.g. bioretention, curb-cuts, ribbon curb, tree trenches, or swales) for stormwater volume and/or water quality management? (Select one) | ||
*Required (3 pts) | *Required (3 pts) | ||
Line 189: | Line 190: | ||
*I don’t know / not specified (0 pts) | *I don’t know / not specified (0 pts) | ||
+ | ====Pervious/permeable surfaces==== | ||
Does your community allow & encourage pervious/permeable surfaces on residential/commercial area sidewalks, and residential/commercial parking lots? (select all that apply) | Does your community allow & encourage pervious/permeable surfaces on residential/commercial area sidewalks, and residential/commercial parking lots? (select all that apply) | ||
*Yes on residential/commercial sidewalks (1 pt) | *Yes on residential/commercial sidewalks (1 pt) |
The Minnesota GreenStep Cities Stormwater Assessment, formerly called the Blue Star Assessment, ................
This section includes four sections that focus on ...........
Part A of the assessment includes two sections that address sprawl-limiting strategies and strategies for redevelopment, including Brownfield redevelopment.
Does your community comprehensive plan allow the following sprawl-limiting strategies? (Select all strategies that apply)
Wikipedia defines urban sprawl as "the expansion of human populations away from central urban areas into low-density, monofunctional and usually car-dependent communities". "Low-density" is an arbitrary term typically defined in local ordinances. Housing densities lower than 1 home per acre are often considered to be low density.
Urban sprawl has many negative environmental impacts, including habitat loss and fragmentation, increased water use, and increased energy consumption. The relationship between urban sprawl and stormwater has not been extensively studied. Sprawl may reduce imperviousness on a per acre basis, but increases overall impervious acreage. High density, mixed-use development, allows for more efficient stormwater management than low density development.
Further reading
Does your community have any of the following incentives specifically targeted to ‘brownfield’ development and redevelopment sites? (Select all that apply)
In your stormwater ordinance is there a definition of green infrastructure -- better management of stormwater while aiming to achieve other environmental, public health, social, and economic benefits? (Select one)
Does your community have a climate adaptation plan in place to address potential impacts of climate change on community water resource management? (Select one)
This section ....
Does your community comprehensive plan include an inventory of high quality natural resource areas and are land-use decisions guided by the inventory in order to protect these areas from development?
Does your community allow filling for development within the floodplain and if so, are restrictions imposed excluding storage of hazardous materials and requiring compensatory storage for fill? (Select one)
Does your community protect high quality or sensitive wetlands through a Resource Management Plan or Wetland Management Plan? (Select one)
Do your buffer standards include any floodplain, steep slope, vegetation or resource quality considerations? (select all that apply)
Does your community have land use protections and/or development restrictions that preserve slopes 18% or greater in a stable, undisturbed vegetated state? (Select one)
Does your community encourage the establishment and sustainability of urban forests through the following strategies: (select all strategies that apply, then check appropriate score box below)
This section....
Does your community have any of the following stable, ongoing, yearly stormwater management funding mechanisms? (Select one)
Does your community provide incentives (e.g., a variable stormwater utility fee) for retrofitting stormwater best management practices in previously developed sites? (Select one)
Has your community adopted a stable funding mechanism for land acquisition of high quality natural resource and/or riparian buffer areas? (Select one)
This section includes three sections that focus on ...........
This section....
Does your community allow proof-of-parking or shared driveways to minimize impervious surface? (Select one)
Does your community utilize any of the following parking lot area restrictions (Select all that apply)
What is your minimum required office building parking ratio (per 1000 ft2 of gross floor area)? (Select one)
What are your standard parking space dimensions (Select one)
For new residential lots, does your community require or encourage impervious surfaces like roofs and drive ways to drain to vegetated areas? (Select one)
Does your community require or encourage parking area landscaping with vegetated practices (e.g. bioretention, curb-cuts, ribbon curb, tree trenches, or swales) for stormwater volume and/or water quality management? (Select one)
Does your community allow & encourage pervious/permeable surfaces on residential/commercial area sidewalks, and residential/commercial parking lots? (select all that apply)