%0 Book %A National Research Council %T Urban Stormwater Management in the United States %@ 978-0-309-12539-0 %D 2009 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12465/urban-stormwater-management-in-the-united-states %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12465/urban-stormwater-management-in-the-united-states %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 610 %X The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Underground Engineering for Sustainable Urban Development %@ 978-0-309-27824-9 %D 2013 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/14670/underground-engineering-for-sustainable-urban-development %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/14670/underground-engineering-for-sustainable-urban-development %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Engineering and Technology %P 246 %X For thousands of years, the underground has provided humans refuge, useful resources, physical support for surface structures, and a place for spiritual or artistic expression. More recently, many urban services have been placed underground. Over this time, humans have rarely considered how underground space can contribute to or be engineered to maximize its contribution to the sustainability of society. As human activities begin to change the planet and population struggle to maintain satisfactory standards of living, placing new infrastructure and related facilities underground may be the most successful way to encourage or support the redirection of urban development into sustainable patterns. Well maintained, resilient, and adequately performing underground infrastructure, therefore, becomes an essential part of sustainability, but much remains to be learned about improving the sustainability of underground infrastructure itself. At the request of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Research Council (NRC) conducted a study to consider sustainable underground development in the urban environment, to identify research needed to maximize opportunities for using underground space, and to enhance understanding among the public and technical communities of the role of underground engineering in urban sustainability. Underground Engineering for Sustainable Urban Development explains the findings of researchers and practitioners with expertise in geotechnical engineering, underground design and construction, trenchless technologies, risk assessment, visualization techniques for geotechnical applications, sustainable infrastructure development, life cycle assessment, infrastructure policy and planning, and fire prevention, safety and ventilation in the underground. This report is intended to inform a future research track and will be of interest to a broad audience including those in the private and public sectors engaged in urban and facility planning and design, underground construction, and safety and security. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Thomas, Katie %E Geller, Laurie %T Urban Forestry: Toward an Ecosystem Services Research Agenda: A Workshop Summary %@ 978-0-309-28758-6 %D 2013 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18370/urban-forestry-toward-an-ecosystem-services-research-agenda-a-workshop %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18370/urban-forestry-toward-an-ecosystem-services-research-agenda-a-workshop %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 76 %X Much of the ecological research in the past decades has focused on rural or wilderness areas. Today, however, ecological research has been taking place in our cities, where our everyday decisions can have profound effects on our environment. This research, or urban ecology, includes an important element, trees. Trees have had a variety of environmental benefits for our environment including the sequestering carbon, reducing urban heat island effects, providing vital habitat for wildlife, and making nature accessible. These benefits have important impacts on the physical, socio-economic, and mental health of humans as well. Being exposed to trees has been shown to enhance social cohesion, improve health and recreational opportunities, and increase real estate values. In order to gain more knowledge into this urban forestry, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) held a workshop February 25-26, 2013. The workshop brought together more than 100 people with various interests in urban forestry research to share information and perspectives, foster communication across specific areas of ecosystem service research, and consider integrated approaches that cut across these realms. The workshop specifically examined current capabilities to characterize and quantify the benefits, key gaps in our understanding, the challenges of planning urban forests in a way that optimizes multiple ecosystem services and more. Urban Forestry: Toward an Ecosystem Services Research Agenda: A Workshop Summary presents an overview of the issues discussed by the workshop's breakout groups; summarizes presentations from the four panels which included Biophysical Services of the Urban Forest; and context for the study with introductory material from the workshop.