ASSESSING NEIGHBORHOOD EFFECTS OF GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE: A CLOSE LOOK AT PHILADELPHIA’S GREEN CITY, CLEAN WATERS PLAN
Municipalities throughout the United States must update aging stormwater infrastructure systems, and green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) best management practices are central to their plans. At the same time, municipal governments must remain aware of the potential negative effects facing disadvantaged neighborhoods if equitable distribution and gentrification pressures potentially caused by GSI are not fully considered and mitigated. This study investigates Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters plan to discover the relationship between GSI interventions and neighborhood change. Using statistical and textual analyses, this study uncovers how the mode of project delivery, neighborhood demographics, and policy language can influence project siting and outcomes. This study is instructive to the future of municipal stormwater planning by providing insight into the unintended neighborhood effects of GSI.