Green Street Program

Portland, USA

About the city. In 2018, a national survey ranked Portland as the 10th greenest city in the nation.

Goal

The main goal is to reduce polluted stormwater coming to Portland’s rivers and streams and improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Implementation period. The program started in 2003 with its first pilot demonstration projects.

Fact

Portland ranks third on the list of American cities with 164 rainy days a year. It can rain 2-3 inches in around 1- 2 hours on the east coast.

Solutions

Green Street is a sustainable stormwater strategy. The main idea is to use a natural systems approach to control stormwater, decrease flows, improve water quality and, additionally, enhance watershed health.

What is the benefit of the project?

• Diverts stormwater from the sewer system and reduces flooding;
• Stormwater infiltrates to recharge groundwater and surface water;
• Increases urban green space;
• As a result, the project improves air quality and reduce air temperatures;
• Diverts stormwater from the sewer system and reduces flooding, sewer backups and combined sewer overflow to the Willamette River.
• Citizens partner with the city and lend assistance with some activities that include picking up trash, removing leaves and debris, weeding and watering.

On the project’s website, you can find 12 already completed cases. For example, one of them, SE Spokane Green Street Bicycle Boulevard Project. According to Project Components, SE Spokane Street between SE 19th Avenue and SE 6th Avenue is a 282 square foot unlined vegetated curb extension. Stormwater runoff from the west side of SE Spokane drains into an inlet on the west side of the facility; stormwater runoff also can drain into a metal grate inlet closer to the intersection on the southeast portion of the facility.

As a result, the facility has functioned properly. The overflow appears to function properly as well, and stormwater in the facility is infiltrating within 24 hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnkpXv4Wmyg

Team

The City of Portland. Partners: the Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland Office of Transportation, Bureau of Development Services, Bureau of Planning, Bureau of Water Works, Parks and Recreation, Office of Sustainable Development, Portland Development Commission, Bureau of Maintenance, and the Commissioner’s Office.

Timeline

Portland entrusted an interagency Green Streets Team to develop a comprehensive green streets policy from 2005 to 2007. The Portland City Council approved a Green street resolution, report, and policy in April 2007 with the intention to promote the use of green street facilities in public and private development.

The project was also developed in the following project “Green Street Steward”. The opening of the project was a response to the request of the residents of the city, as they wanted to participate in the development and landscaping.

If you notice an error or inaccuracy in our editorials, please email [email protected] so we can look into it.