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