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NEW REPORT CALLS FOR CONSERVING THE RICHMOND REGION’S “GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE”
Download the Richmond Regional Green Infrastructure Report
Thursday, July 9, 2009: The Green Infrastructure Center and the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission are pleased to release a new report: Richmond Region’s Green Infrastructure Project which you can download online. The report highlights opportunities for conserving the rich “green infrastructure” of the Richmond region. Green infrastructure includes the connected natural systems and ecological processes that provide critical functions, such as rich soils for farming, habitat for wildlife, drinking water storage and filtration and clean air. Green infrastructure planning entails inventorying both natural and cultural resource assets and identifying opportunities for their protection or restoration.
The report includes maps depicting the region’s green infrastructure resources and an analysis of how development has led to a more fragmented landscape and reduced the size and significance of forest and wildlife habitat. It also showcases opportunities for regional cooperation and conservation. Center Director Karen Firehock explains that, “Just as an individual would want to know their own bank balance before writing a check, the region also needs to know more about its assets so it can make better informed decisions about how and where to grow.” The free regional report is available for download at the GIC's Richmond Regional Page.
The regional maps were created through a partnership between the Green Infrastructure Center and the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission. Input from the region’s localities helped to identify the most critical regional resources. Data supplied by the Virginia Division of Natural Heritage was used to create a base map along with county data. County representatives worked for several months to identify those resources that cross jurisdictional boundaries, such as significant forests and wildlife corridors, regional trails and water resources. Identifying opportunities to conserve natural resources region wide is critical as Virginia faces unprecedented challenges from growth and development.
“Many Virginia counties are facing increasing demands for growth so it’s important that they have the best available information for planning for the future,” explained Firehock. How and where we grow and the decisions about how to conserve our natural assets will be critical to ensuring a high quality of life for residents and companies in the Richmond region. RRPDC Executive Director Robert Crum commented that “The Richmond Green Infrastructure project will be a useful tool for our member jurisdictions in their efforts to protect and connect the Region’s important green infrastructure resources. The report provides a comprehensive inventory of these community assets and will serve as a valuable planning resource.”
The project also includes a detailed pilot study for New Kent County to demonstrate how to advance a green infrastructure approach at a county scale as part of everyday planning. In New Kent, staff created detailed local asset maps to provide the county with information on critical forests, watersheds, wetlands, working lands and areas important for wildlife conservation to guide the local comprehensive plan and decisions on where and how to grow. Other localities can follow the New Kent model to create their own unique plans to conserve natural assets while also linking to the regional resources identified in the new report.
In summer 2008, the GIC and the RRPDC launched the Richmond regional project with funds from the Virginia Environmental Endowment, the Robins Foundation and Altria Group Inc. and the Virginia Coastal Zone Program to pilot a regional and local approach to green infrastructure mapping. Project partners include the Crater Planning District Commission, the Capital Region Land Conservancy and the Division of Natural Heritage in the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Founded in 2006, the Green Infrastructure Center Inc. is a nonprofit organization located in Charlottesville, Virginia that conducts research, economic analysis, land use planning and asset assessment, and mapping to provide the tools needed by communities to protect and restore green assets. The center has completed five pilot projects in Virginia and has several pilot projects underway. The center is supported entirely through grants and donations. The Richmond Regional Planning District Commission serves the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, and Powhatan, the City of Richmond and the Town of Ashland. The RRPDC is comprised of elected officials and citizens who discuss and develop solutions to mutual problems and promote intergovernmental cooperation.
The Green Infrastructure Center Inc. is a new nonprofit organization located in Charlottesville, Virginia that was formed to assist communities in developing strategies for protecting and conserving their ecological and cultural assets through environmentally-sensitive decisions, lifestyles, and planning. The GIC conducts research, economic analysis, land use planning and asset assessment, and mapping to provide the tools needed by communities to protect and restore green assets. A partnership between E2 Inc. and the GIC provides additional capacity and services for the center’s nonprofit mission to assist communities with green infrastructure planning. Initial funds for the pilot projects are provided by the Virginia Dept. of Forestry and the USDA’s Urban and Community Forestry Program. |
