Thirsty Street Trees: Slow Down Stormwater

When it comes to stormwater, its time to slow things down. Much of our stormwater infrastructure was designed to quickly divert water to underground stormwater systems. But times have changed: faced with increasingly unstable weather patterns that bring both frequent flooding and intermittent droughts, today’s systems are taxed beyond capacity. One solution lies right under our noses, at a line in the landscape that is so familiar and ubiquitous: the street curb. 

This line separates water from everything above the curb: trees, plantings, sidewalks, people. What if instead of a barrier, we viewed curbs as gateways. Intentional breaks in the curb can redirect water toward thirsty trees in stressed urban conditions. Consider a tree can take up 13,000 gallons of water annually, and there are an estimated 6,000 miles of curbs in New York City alone. Tree-focused curb design is better for water uptake, pollutant processing, microclimate cooling, and oxygenation!!  

One change leads to another. A softer and more flexible streetscape is one where natural systems are interconnected and synergistic. The curb cut intervention is a first step towards transforming our streets and sidewalks to living systems, both above and below ground.

More green and less grey!

written by Lori Ball Horton