Role of community participation for green stormwater infrastructure development

Abstract

The primary objective of this research is to understand the role of community participation in green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) development. There is a lack of understanding about the interactions of technical and non-technical factors that promote or hinder GSI implementation and development. This work uses the qualitative case study methodology to fulfil the objective and answer the research questions. The case study is based on the Proctor Creek Watershed, Atlanta Georgia, a rapidly growing urban area located in the southeastern United States. Data sources include participant interviews, documents, and field notes. Findings reveal that community participation in this case is embedded in collaborative partnership efforts. Also, social conditions highly influence the participation processes by dictating the priorities the community develops during participation processes. Factors such as funding and political support, promote green stormwater infrastructure implementation along with community participation. Additionally, community education addresses the challenge of resistance to change, hence community education plays a role in its development and implementation.

Keywords: Collaborative partnerships; Community participation; Engineering infrastructure; Green stormwater infrastructure; Urban development; Urban planning.