A Comprehensive Assessment of the Barriers and Drivers of GSI Adoption Centered on Ordinances in Small and Small to Medium-sized Municipalities in Pennsylvania
Abstract:
While considerable scholarship demonstrates the benefits of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) primarily to reduce runoff volume and pollution associated with that runoff, municipalities have not universally embraced widespread GSI implementation. Among the numerous sociotechnical, regulatory, financial, and institutional barriers, conflicting or adversarial local mandates and codes, stand out as critical regulatory and policy barriers to GSI implementation. Because much of what we know about barriers and drivers of GSI stems from research on large cities, we lack a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of impediments to GSI implementation across differently sized and resourced communities.
Using surveys, coding of ordinances, and semi-structured interviews we will identify and quantify the regulatory, policy, and other related barriers to GSI implementation as well as strategies for overcoming those barriers for small, and small-to-medium-sized cities across Pennsylvania. We build on existing contacts, collaborations, and partnerships both to gather data and to seek additional input and iterative feedback via workshops at multiple points during the project. Results will help municipalities understand where and how to adjust local mandates, codes, and ordinances to improve support for GSI and inform case studies about overcoming GSI barriers.
Our iterative approach and partnerships with Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania Sea Grant, Penn State Stormwater Living Lab, and Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors will enable the development and dissemination of tailored education, training and outreach materials, including high-quality graphics, videos, and webinars, targeted to relevant audiences (municipal audiences and the public) to advance GSI implementation in Pennsylvania and beyond.
