The Monroe Ave Stormwater Facility team [right] and Swift Bus Rapid Transit team [left] at the 2026 ACEC WA awards event.As major enhancements to their communities, two Otak projects were honored at the 2026 American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) WA awards ceremony for making a positive impact in distinctly different ways. The Monroe Avenue Stormwater Facility earned a Gold Award for its innovative application of techniques to deliver a unique piece of green stormwater infrastructure while the Swift Bus Rapid Transit Orange Line earned a Silver Award for its social, economic, and sustainable design.
As an organization committed to advancing the industry, ACEC holds the annual awards to recognize engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value. A closer look at these two projects, adding to a list of award-winning work, and their impact on surrounding communities can be found below.
Monroe Avenue Stormwater Facility – Gold Award: Uniqueness and/or Innovative Application of New or Existing Techniques
The Monroe Avenue Stormwater Treatment and Infiltration Facility represents a breakthrough in urban stormwater management and a model for engineering innovation solving long-standing environmental, flooding, and community space challenges within highly developed basins.
Located in the 260-acre Renton Highlands watershed, the project replaced an outdated infiltration pit with a facility designed to manage 100-year storm events, improve water quality, and deliver lasting public benefits. Among its most innovative elements is a multi-layered sediment and pollutant removal ‘treatment train’ engineered to preserve the infiltration capacity of the native soils. Altogether, the project will reduce flooding and improve water quality in the City of Renton for generations to come.
Swift Bus Rapid Transit, Orange Line – Silver Award: Social, Economic, and Sustainable Design
Adding to the state’s first rapid transit system of its kind, the Swift BRT Orange Line is an 11-mile connection between multiple communities in Snohomish County. This expansion of public transportation enhances accessibility for the region’s residents to a variety of vital services as well as economic and social opportunities.
The Upper Kellogg Creek project team [left] and 1st and Strand project team [right] at the 2026 ACEC OR awards.Multidisciplinary, multi-phase expertise was recognized at this year’s ACEC Oregon awards, with two Otak projects earning honors from the American Council of Engineering Companies Oregon Chapter. Work to reduce flooding by adding green stormwater infrastructure in a unique neighborhood setting was highlighted with a Small Project Award for the Upper Kellogg Creek Capital Improvements, while an Honor Award for the design and planning around 1st and Strand showcased upgrades aimed at growing the downtown waterfront of St. Helens, Washington.
As an organization committed to advancing the industry, ACEC holds the annual awards to recognize engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value. A closer look at these two projects, adding to a list of award-winning work, and their impact on surrounding communities can be found below.
Upper Kellogg Stormwater Management & Capital Improvements – Small Project Award
With a unique application of green stormwater infrastructure in a residential neighborhood setting, work on Upper Kellogg Creek addressed chronic flooding for the surrounding community while also enhancing its natural habitat. Initial capital improvement planning led to a design that connects a restored stream with an updated roadway stormwater system to eliminate the frequency of flooding issues during storm events.
1st and Strand: St. Helens Waterfront – Honor Award
Transforming an old mill site into a walkable, multimodal public space that sets up the downtown St. Helens waterfront for future growth was the basis of a planning effort and subsequent transportation design for the area. A new multiuse path and roundabout along with the added ability to close off a portion of the street for festivals reduces congestion in the area, supporting public use and continued economic growth.
Otak project lead, Russ Gaston (far right), during the Miller Creek Restoration ribbon cutting ceremony
A collaborative effort between multiple municipalities and a multidisciplinary Otak team reached a significant milestone last week with a ribbon cutting ceremony at Miller Creek. Stakeholders from Port of Seattle, the Cities of Burien, and SeaTac, gathered alongside project leads to celebrate the completion of 1.4-acres of restored floodplain designed to enhance habitat for endangered salmon and reduce flooding for the surrounding community.
The project is just one piece of the Northeast Redevelopment Area (NERA) where master planning set a vision for economic development near the growing regional airport. In addition to the green stormwater infrastructure and environmental enhancements, the design also opened the area to greater public recreation with access to the regional trail system.
About the Miller Creek Restoration
To support redevelopment of a 162-acre subarea near the expanding SeaTac International Airport, the restoration of Miller Creek improved stormwater capacity, natural habitat, and public use. By daylighting 900 linear feet of a stream that previously flowed through a failing pipe system, the project also adds protection for private property and downstream wetlands from runoff. The restored stream will now also provide important natural habitat for endangered salmon and other aquatic species by bringing it to the surface and removing other barriers to fish passage. These efforts contribute to broader efforts to restore the Puget Sound Watershed.
One of several stakeholders speaking during the ribbon cutting event for the restored Miller Creek.
People walking along the Miller Creek Trail on a guided tour during its ribbon cutting event.
Graphic with information on this green stormwater infrastructure and it’s place in the natural hydrologic process.
The 2025 American Public Works Association (APWA) OR Fall Conference included two presentations by Otak experts and two more award-winning projects for the firm. Project of the Year honors highlighted the transportation design of 1st and Strand and the environmental design for the Springwater Wetland Restoration.
In addition to the accolades, a panel with water resources team leader Phil Kenyon focused on strategies that streamline collaboration between operations and engineering on projects while civil engineer team leader Keith Buisman shared an in-depth look at the design behind the award-winning 1st and Strand project. These sessions were followed by a wine tasting event where all proceeds went toward supporting the APWA Oregon Scholastic Foundation, advancing education opportunities in the industry.
Altogether, this year’s event followed a theme of “Public Works Unmasked.” It placed an emphasis on the details behind the work and ideas that were shared across the event’s activities. A closer look at the two Project of the Year winners can be found below.
About 1st and Strand – Project of the Year (Transportation Category: $5 million – $25 million)
Situated along the downtown waterfront, work at 1st and Strand set up the City of St. Helens for continued growth. An initial planning effort was followed by a transportation design that clearly defines this downtown core, both with infrastructure for growing business in the area and enhancing its use for the community.
Adjacent to City Hall and other public buildings, the streetscape design allows the area to host public events without disrupting traffic. The enhancements improve congestion, parking, and pedestrian access while also extending utilities that create shovel-ready sites for future development.
About the Springwater Wetlands Restoration – Project of the Year (Environmental Category: $5 million – $25 million)
A reconnected floodplain was designed to improve flooding for the City of Portland with the restored Springwater Wetlands. This extensive example of green stormwater infrastructure in an urban environment also adds a natural area for natural habitat and public access with connection a regional trail system.
The project was informed by complex hydraulic modeling and environmental science to account for historic flooding events. Data from those studies were also used in designing public access amenities and several other community-focused features found throughout the site.
Showcasing the details behind one of the largest water treatment facilities in Washington State, a presentation at the American Public Works Association (APWA) WA 2025 Fall Conference on the Monroe Avenue Infiltration Facility included insights from two Otak engineers responsible for its design. Led by representatives from the City of Renton (project client), the presentation gave an in-depth look at the project’s background, the alternatives considered, and how it ultimately will enhance water quality and flood mitigation for the surrounding community.
Project leaders Russ Gaston and Joe Brascher were on-hand for a Q&A that followed to give firsthand accounts of what went into the design and environmental science that made the project possible. This session was open to the sold-out gathering of attendees for the annual APWA WA event. The group forms a large, dynamic, and engaged community of professionals dedicated to advancing improvement goals at the local level. In addition to opportunities like this to share innovative infrastructure examples with peers, the occasion also aims to foster professional growth and facilitate meaningful connections that promote excellence in the industry. Learn more about this example of green stormwater infrastructure that was presented below.
Over the previous few decades, the community of Renton, Washington experienced multiple historic flooding events, causing damage to property and infrastructure. These consequences also extended to the Cedar River and broader water quality in the area. Temporary solutions with drainage easements and overflow pipes were implemented over the years but a new approach was needed for managing stormwater runoff for the 260-acre subbasin. As a result, the city made plans for additional stormwater infrastructure to address the issue that would become the Monroe Avenue Infiltration Facility.
With an emphasis on water quality targets, long-term performance, as well as construction and maintenance cost, several alternatives were considered leading up to this project. Using hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, estimated peak flows were incorporated across all the designs to account for everything up to a 100-year storm event.
The selected alternative delivered a final design that balances cost efficiency and low maintenance with maximum water quality and a smaller facility footprint. The 14-acre site where the facility exists was originally a permitted sand and gravel pit from 1962 to 1982 and had since been used as a reclamation site. After extensive work with land rights, funding, and material availability, a storm tech chamber infiltration facility and water quality treatment vault would be the main components of what now exists at the location.
With a connection to existing stormwater infrastructure, the Monroe Avenue Infiltration facility includes a flow splitter along with primary and secondary isolator rows to address normal and high flow situations. A pretreatment removes debris and a bioscape unit within the treatment vault enhances water quality and lowers water temperature as it makes its way back into the water system. Designed with longevity and maintenance in mind, easy access to features for upkeep include a hammerhead access road to allow vactor truck turnarounds. Altogether the final product was constructed four months ahead of schedule.
A speaker from the City of Renton at the APWA WA 2025 Conference.
A speaker from the City of Renton at the APWA WA 2025 Conference.
Visualization of underground features of the Monroe Avenue Infiltration Facility.
Visualization of the Monroe Avenue Infiltration Facility and its bioscape feature.
Amy Murdick presents at the 2025 CASFM event in Steamboat Springs, Colorado
As part of a continuous effort to collaborate with industry peers and advance the water resources field, two of our team leaders recently presented at separate conferences focused on stormwater planning and management.
Taking place in Oregon and Colorado, the events covered the nuances found in each region while also representing the geographic reach of our work. Together they shed light on best practices that not only improve local environments but also the impact of work on communities through features like green stormwater infrastructure.
Below is an overview of the events, with a look at the organizations that made them possible and the topics our experts shared.
Achieving Retention without Requiring it: An Alternative to Oregon’s Numeric Stormwater Retention Requirement
With the stated goal of advancing the science and profession of engineering to “enhance the welfare of humanity,” the Environmental Water Resources Group (EWRG) hosted the Sustainable Stormwater Symposium in Portland, Oregon. The group is a subsidiary of the American Society of Engineers, and this bi-annual gathering is their flagship event.
“Using a consistent set of standards, we wanted to show how a team of stormwater engineers, scientists, and policy experts can creatively and practically address regulatory mandates for clients.”
– Trista Kobluskie, Stormwater Group Leader
In tandem with Clackamas Water Environment Services (WES), our group leader of water and natural resources, Trista Kobluskie, presented at this year’s symposium. The joint presentation highlighted different paths to positive environmental outcomes. The two presented a study that compared pre-development retention over a large area to the effects of WES’s approach, which discharges runoff through green infrastructure while targeting natural or pre-development hydrology.
A modeling exercise and policy analysis demonstrated to those in attendance how WES’s stormwater standards lead to positive results, even though they don’t necessarily align with the preferred Numeric Stormwater Retention Requirement approach by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Much of the discussion focused on how to demonstrate that infiltration is often achieved even when it is not required by emphasizing green infrastructure as a preferred strategy in design requirements.
Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers (CASFM) Annual Conference: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
What to Expect with the Unexpected: Benefits and Challenges to Implementing Adaptive Management
Comprised of professionals involved in floodplain and stormwater management, water quality, flood hazard mitigation, and flood preparedness, the Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers (CASFM) has a primary mission of reducing “the loss of human life and property from flood and storm damage.” With more than 1,000 members, the organization recently held their biannual meeting in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Among the topics covered at this year’s event was the growing practice of adaptive management, or the continued monitoring of a project site after completion to better understand its true impact over time. Along with our Colorado stormwater lead Amy Murdick, the panel included representatives from The Town of Parker, Naranjo Civil Constructors, The Mile High Flood District, and ERO Resources Corporation.
The group’s discussion covered the process of adaptive management which aims to provide a structured approach to decision-making that’s informed by science. They also dived into the benefits and challenges of the growing practice, emphasizing its place in better managing uncertainty, increasing resilience, and improving overall project outcomes.
As urban environments and their infrastructure expand, so do the amount of impervious surface they create. Where rainwater would otherwise naturally find its way into the soil, those surfaces make it so that it is now prevented and diverted by hardened and water-resistant surfaces such as roadways, parking lots, and rooftops. Stormwater planning addresses this issue.
Traditionally, “gray infrastructure” like sewer systems is designed with a single purpose: move water from one place to another as quickly as possible. Over time this approach has led to increasing issues with flooding, erosion, and pollution to local waterways. In response, green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) has risen in popularity to better manage stormwater by utilizing the natural functions of soil and plants.
In this blog we’ll discuss how, by blending nature-based solutions into infrastructure, communities find multiple benefits. Green stormwater infrastructure not only improves the immediate management of runoff but also the long-term resilience of their design.
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What is Green Stormwater Infrastructure?
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) refers to systems that utilize the inherent qualities of nature-based solutions to improve the management and treatment runoff. Unlike gray infrastructure that consists of only man-made materials such as concrete or steel and is engineered solely to move water, GSI incorporates features that better slow, retain, and filter stormwater through natural processes.
Often involving planting vegetation, reconnecting natural water systems, or using permeable materials, green stormwater infrastructure is designed to replicate the natural hydrological processes by enabling infiltration below ground and evapotranspiration above. This approach treats rainwater as the resource it is rather than as waste while improving flooding, water quality, and a variety of other community benefits that come with a greener environment.
Benefits of Green Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions
The advantages of green stormwater infrastructure extend across environmental, social, and economic factors. Aside from obvious benefits to community flooding and natural habitat, this approach is also often more cost effective.
Adding green features, sometimes through the comprehensive planning process, to urban environments also can have wide-ranging positive effects on both quality of life as well as property values for a community where present. In fact, research has shown that properties near green stormwater features can increase in value by around 11%, reflecting the demand for communities that integrate green spaces into daily life.
Below is a quick overview of some of the primary benefits of green stormwater infrastructure for a community.
Flood Control and Water Quality
One of the most pressing challenges in stormwater management is flooding. Gray infrastructure often only shifts the problem from one place to another, channeling water away until systems overflow. By contrast, green infrastructure captures rainfall close to where it falls or diverts it to an area designed to naturally hold and absorb. The natural process of infiltration helps remove pollutants while slowly releasing runoff into groundwater. This reduces the burden on sewers, minimizes the risk of downstream flooding, and prevents the high percentage of pollution caused by untreated runoff entering rivers and lakes.
Air Quality and Heat Mitigation
Urban areas with large amounts of pavement experience the “urban heat island effect,” where temperatures rise due to absorbed and reflected heat. Higher temperatures also worsen air quality by increasing smog levels, posing risks to human health. It’s no secret that vegetation naturally converts CO2 into oxygen, which has a direct impact on improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gases. Drawing on these inherent characteristics, green infrastructure features help counter the urban heat island effect by reducing the amount of reflected heat by shading surfaces, filtering pollutants, and cooling the air through evapotranspiration.
Improved Natural Habitat
Even small green features can have a large impact on natural habitat. Projects that restore streams, reconnect wetlands, or replace outdated culverts not only manage stormwater more effectively but also improve fish passage (along with that of other aquatic organisms) and natural habitat for a variety of species. At the same time small additions of vegetation and tree cover provide homes for birds, insects, and small mammals. Together, these systems contribute to biodiversity and improve the resilience of communities.
Resource and Energy Savings
Green infrastructure also saves resources and lowers energy costs. For instance, green roofs insulate buildings, reducing heating and cooling expenses by up to 12%, while also lasting twice as long (20 versus 40 years on average) as conventional roofs. Permeable pavements help water reach soil and infiltrate. Altogether, these systems reduce embodied carbon footprints, extend infrastructure lifespans, and minimize long-term maintenance burdens.
Green Infrastructure Examples
Green infrastructure takes many forms that are tailored to the site and community needs. Below are some common examples of nature-based solutions in action:
Rain gardens are shallow depressions planted with vegetation designed to capture runoff from nearby impervious surfaces. They filter pollutants, recharge groundwater, and provide habitat for wildlife such as birds and pollinators.
In an urban environment, rooftops are one of the most prevalent impervious surfaces. A green roof transforms that surface of a building into a living landscape. By covering rooftops with soil and vegetation, green roofs capture rainfall, reduce heat, and extend roof lifespans. They also insulate buildings, lowering energy demands.
Unlike traditional asphalt or concrete, porous pavement allows stormwater to seep through the surface into the soil below. This reduces runoff volumes, lessens strain on stormwater systems, and reduces quantities of pollutants that reach the stormwater system.
Many historical wetlands and floodplains have been cut off by development over time. Restoring these natural features allows them to serve their natural purpose during heavy rains, pooling and filtering water while slowly releasing it back into the water table.
Bioswales (or biofiltration swales) are shallow, vegetated channels that collect runoff along roadways or developments. When planted with native plants, swales not only filter stormwater but also enhance the character of streetscapes and support biodiversity.
A Complete Approach to Green Infrastructure
As communities continue to grow and climate conditions become more unpredictable, stormwater management is an increasingly critical challenge. Green stormwater infrastructure offers a proven, cost-effective way to address flooding, improve water quality, and create healthier, more resilient communities. Implementation of this approach is a multidisciplinary process that draws on the expertise of planning, landscape architecture, water resources engineering, and environmental sciences to maximize its value.
By harnessing natural processes, these systems move beyond the limitations of gray infrastructure, blending engineering with ecology to deliver wide-ranging benefits. From improved air quality and habitat creation to reduced energy costs and enhanced property values, GSI demonstrates how infrastructure can serve people, nature, and the economy at once.
A reconnected historical floodplain, designed to alleviate costly issues for a community that’s prone to flooding, was officially introduced to the public at the Springwater Wetlands grand opening. Members of the community gathered alongside local leaders for a celebration of the project’s completion, along with a birdwatching walk through the area that now serves as a public open space and a restored natural habitat for a variety of native species.
Discussions at the event focused on the project’s goals to both reduce insurance costs for the community and better connect its members with nature, while also improving urban wildlife habitat. The project’s proximity along the Springwater Corridor Trail makes it easily accessible to the public, encouraging greater community engagement. The restoration for this portion of the Johnson Creek Watershed follows earlier work at the adjacent Foster Floodplain Natural Area. Together, both projects add to continued improvements for the City of Portland’s green stormwater infrastructure.
About the Springwater Wetlands Restoration
Working closely with the City of Portland and Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), work on the Springwater Wetlands reconnects and restores the Johnson Creek floodplain to address persistent flooding with green stormwater infrastructure. The project relied on extensive hydraulic modeling to properly map the area in planning for 10-to-100-year flood events and to return the floodplain to its more natural state. A multiuse trail through the new natural habitat complements the existing trail network and opens it up further for public use and wildlife viewing.
A gathering of the community and media at the grand opening of Springwater Wetlands
Information about the restored Springwater Wetlands on display during its grand opening event
Part of the restored Springwater Wetlands and stormwater retention area
People gathered at the restored Springwater Wetlands during its grand opening event
There are more than 250,000 rivers stretching over 3 million miles across the United States. These streams lead to countless more waterways that form an interconnected system of essential natural resources for communities, agriculture, and wildlife.
The decades of development that has allowed for the growth of towns and cities is now better understood for its unintended impacts on these natural systems, the people that rely on them, and the aquatic species that call them home.
Every year, millions of fish—many threatened or endangered—migrate between the ocean and the waterways that make up their native habitat. For many other fish species in inland states, this remarkable journey takes place wholly within freshwater systems. Altogether, these migrations—often triggered by seasonal changes—occur as fish seek out optimal conditions for spawning, feeding, or overwintering. It is a vital process to maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems and it’s a process that’s often challenged by infrastructure and habitat fragmentation.
Structures such as dams, culverts, and levees have long been recognized as barriers to fish passage. And while good progress has been made in removing this infrastructure where possible, waterway restoration has continued to evolve over the past few decades. Encompassing a broader approach, today’s restoration tactics better account for the full complexities of watersheds as well as the resilience of important infrastructure they’re connected to.
In this blog, we’ll discuss how a more holistic approach is being taken to restore waterways to their more natural state, protecting both habitat and human access to this vital resource.
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What is Waterway Restoration?
Waterway restoration is the practice of returning natural systems to a condition more in-line with their natural state, creating and improving access to healthy water resources for communities and aquatic species alike. While true restoration is sometimes not possible in an urban setting, there can still be enhancements that restore at least a portion of the lost function.
Restoration work typically involves evaluation of geomorphic, hydrologic, hydraulic, and ecologic function as projects are planned and designed. Hydraulic modeling and hydrologic analysis calculate correct depth and velocity conditions, which can be used to better design systems that, for instance, target specific fish species.
Taken a step further, restoration design seeks to replicate how a stream might have naturally evolved in the absence of development. Stream simulation supports this aim by assessing natural geomorphic processes while also considering what’s currently impacting channel evolution and how it might change in the future.
Common Waterway Restoration Features
In support of communities, aquatic species, and healthier floodplains as a whole, there are a number of common features in waterway restoration design aimed at different goals.
Regrading to raise the streambed, to lower the floodplain, or remove of infrastructure such as a tide gate, culvert, or levee allows a river to access its natural floodplain. This improves habitat availability and complexity, and floodwater storage.
Planting native vegetation along streambanks helps to stabilize soil, filters runoff, and provides shade and habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species, and wetlands absorb floodwaters, filter pollutants, and serve as critical breeding grounds for fish and amphibians.
Restoring natural channel form and processes (e.g., meandering/multi-threaded channel and pool, riffle, boulder/log step features) to improve flow dynamics, sediment transport, and habitat diversity.
Using woody material in stream restoration projects provides habitat where various types of fish—as well as insects they feed on—can live and thrive. Logs (with and without rootwads attached) and tree limbs are anchored along the banks to reduce erosion, add aquatic organism habitat (cover, resting areas), and support floodplain function. As the wood decays it also adds important nutrients to the water.
Removing obsolete dams or retrofitting them with more resilient, fish-friendly designs restores connectivity, improves ecosystem health, and supports our community that relies upon this infrastructure.
Using living plant materials in combination with natural and synthetic support structures, mimicking natural processes where erosion is most severe and bank stabilization is needed. This can include the use of riprap slope protection that is modified to incorporate elements of the other restoration techniques such as, inclusion of large woody materials or soil to support plantings.
Fish Barriers, Encroachment, and Water Quality
Over time, as restoration work has become more prevalent, along with the data to study and even adaptively manage its impacts, the field has continued to evolve. Restoration efforts today look beyond the removal of barriers alone to consider all factors that contribute to healthy systems, often requiring a more holistic approach that evaluates the entire watershed.
In addition to removing physical barriers, waterway restoration work now also accounts for encroachment on waterways from sedimentation and pollution as a part of overall water quality. This is an important step in understanding impacts to adjacent habitat and community infrastructure. Russ Gaston, Senior Vice President, Water & Natural Resources, has decades experience studying and improving fish passages, working in both the public and private sector. He explains, “for years, restoration projects focused mainly on removing physical barriers or helping fish pass through or around barriers. What we have seen though, is streams that had polluted water flowing into them did not achieve positive results after physical barriers were removed. Rather, they saw little to no improvement at all.”
For instance, even after over 20 years of work in the French Creek watershed of Snohomish County removing fish barriers, restoration of spawning salmon to the upper watershed remained impeded because the water-quality-barrier in the watershed had not been improved.
Since then, the team has worked with the county and farmers in the watershed to explore new options to both improve water quality and restore stream buffers in the agricultural lands. “We commonly focus on stormwater runoff and work to create a stable channel to keep bank erosion to natural rates, which are primary sources of pollutants in a stream. We also use the Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (B-IBII) to project the health of the stream before and after the restoration is completed,” says Russ.
This more comprehensive approach to waterway restoration is a collaborative, multidisciplinary effort involving cities, counties, agencies, tribal consultation, and property owners to fully assess common goals. Consideration for regional stormwater management, water rights, connectivity of wetlands, and aquatic habitat are all incorporated into a design for lasting solutions.
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Resilience
To fully understand what is happening within a waterway and what barriers—physical or otherwise—are having the greatest impact, the entire watershed needs to be considered. This requires the expertise and perspective of a multi-disciplinary approach that ideally includes structural and civil engineers, geomorphologists, biologists, wetland ecologists, and landscape architects. Russ, who has witnessed changes in the industry firsthand, points out that it’s not just multiple disciplines weighing in on a project, it’s diverse perspectives working together. “What I thought was an integrated team years ago, is nothing compared to what we do today.”
Working closely together, integrated teams have a greater understanding of all aspects of a restoration project and how it will deliver greater resilience in current and future conditions. From leading the next generation of work in the Pacific Northwest to preparing watersheds for wildfire in the Mountain West, Otak has been at the forefront of this shift to a more holistic approach to improving fish passages. These multidisciplinary efforts not only aim for multi-species preservation but also work closely with various jurisdictions—cities, counties, the state— to maximize cost benefit for whole communities.
Positioning a community for long-term success is a planning effort that requires vision into the past, present, and future. Development around community goals often takes shape in the comprehensive planning process, but today this ever-evolving discipline faces increasingly complex challenges.
From the air to water and soil, the impacts of climate change are putting environmental factors at the forefront of long-range planning with the overarching need to create community resilience. As science and extreme weather events continue to paint a clearer picture of the specific hazards facing communities across different geographies, accounting for these variables becomes an increasingly essential element of the comprehensive planning process. In fact, for many planners today it’s not only essential, but mandatory. A growing number of states now have legislation in place – as well as significant sources of funding – that requires the inclusion of measures to address climate change in long-range plans.
In this piece, we’ll discuss how the comprehensive planning process is evolving to emphasize interconnected systems of resilience. From climate co-benefits centered on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, to improving socio-economic standing of residents, these emerging efforts are becoming a vital component to the future well-being of our communities.
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What is Comprehensive Planning?
Comprehensive planning is the process of creating documentation that guides decision-making around a variety of topics (i.e. land use, transportation, parks, housing, environment, employment etc.) for the direction of communities years into the future.
Communities often sharpen the focus of their overall vision through subarea plans aimed at covering specific parts of a city. These mini-comprehensive plans focus on the unique goals of a particular district, neighborhood, corridor, or other more targeted area of the broader community.
The Comprehensive Planning Co-Benefits Landscape
While impacts vary from one region to another, the fact of the matter is, no community is unaffected by climate. From flooding in coastal areas to extreme weather events on the mainland, growing trends with the environment have confirmed the importance of limiting human contribution to those changes while also making communities more resilient against their effects. It’s through this lens of resilience planning that co-benefits between different interconnected systems are found to maximize social, economic, and environmental factors collectively.
Resilience Planning Terminology
Types of Community Assets
Reference: Washington Department of Commerce
At the heart of resilience planning is the recognition of community assets – both tangible and intangible – and how they relate to potential hazards. The co-benefits of this process often are found in goals such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions or restoring watersheds, all to benefit the common needs of humans and habitats alike.
Environmental Systems of Resilience
At this point, any approach toward sustainability and resilience in development relies on an understanding of the connection between systems in the built environment and natural environment. Efforts to mitigate impact or restore natural systems are planned to include co-benefits to communities, including through green stormwater infrastructure.
Implementation projects that result from the comprehensive planning process can go a long way toward ensuring better preserved natural systems lead to more resilient communities.
Mitigating Impacts to Water, Air, and Soil
Many of the most vital elements found in nature are equally vital to our communities. From direct impacts like mitigating floods and wildfires to passive ones such as water and air quality, the co-benefits of resilience connect our communities to their broader ecosystems to reduce risk and enhance public health.
In many areas of the United States, one of the most pressing hazards is wildfire. Considering physical loss to impacts on insurability and other economic effects, their toll on a community can be swift, widespread, and long lasting. What’s more is these events can cause a domino effect of natural disasters.
The scorched land and destroyed vegetation left behind by a wildfire will often lead to erosion of soil and increased runoff from stormwater. Excess water and sediment can have extreme impacts on water quality, transportation infrastructure (culverts, bridges etc.), and other community assets for years after a fire has been put out.
While strides have been made in fighting wildfires, the best approach remains in resilience planning designed to limit their impact before they start in the first place. Methods like identifying watersheds that are at risk and encouraging their preservation and restoration puts communities in a better position to avoid the variety of ways wildfire leads to loss.
Flooding and Sedimentation
Similar to the relationship between wildfires and watersheds, the role of healthy vegetation can play a large role in a community’s water quality and flooding. As a stormwater measure, native planting can have the added utility of accounting for added impervious surfaces, providing natural bioretention.
By limiting erosion through healthy root systems, native plantings are an essential element of any shoreline. In other types of environments, preserving soil also reduces the potential for debris flow or rock/mud slides that can cause a high amount of damage to property and loss of life.
Healthy habitats that include native plantings are also commonly used in planning efforts for parks and community spaces. Native plants are healthy food sources for local wildlife and because they’re adapted to the surrounding climate, they often require less water and maintenance, conserving an area’s resources efficiently. They also add to the culture, education, and development of public spaces by encouraging a community to learn about and embrace the natural heritage of their region
Housing, Transportation, and Energy Systems of Resilience
Just as environmental factors impact community infrastructure, the reverse is also true. It’s no secret that transportation contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and that development can negatively impact ecosystems. It’s also important to recognize that disparities in impacted communities exist and planning around environmental justice is an opportunity to increase social justice.
When looking at issues individually, it can be difficult to find satisfying solutions, but when problems are viewed wholistically through the lens of resilience, the ability to influence positive outcomes becomes clearer.
Green House Gas (GHG) Emissions Reduction
A primary factor in resilience planning is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The focus on reducing vehicle miles driven and setting reduction targets is central to much of the regulation in Oregon and Washington state.
Planning that emphasizes transit-oriented development and active transportation not only works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also can lead to more vibrant, healthier communities. A comprehensive plan can also include a look at industrial processes or emissions that come from city operations in order to lower an area’s carbon footprint.
Housing Density and Affordability
Across the country, many urban areas face challenges associated with affordable housing. With obvious economic implications, the ability to increase not only the supply but the density of housing is an effort to improve community resilience as well as upward mobility.
Within the comprehensive planning process, updates that allow for higher density housing or more flexible housing types can be made to the city code. Middle housing, or the in-between housing of detached single family and large multifamily complexes, is one avenue for flexible housing that maintains the character of a neighborhood. Ultimately, the goal for planners is to give people affordable housing options for the different stages of life that exist in any given community for the benefit of all.
Continuity in Operations and Utilities
In many areas of the country, communities are now familiar with “flex events” or “rolling blackouts” aimed at reducing energy consumption when there is high demand being met by strained energy infrastructure. As shifts in climate produce more frequent extreme temperatures–both hot and cold–planning efforts should consider how to make this process more efficient for communities while also considering improvements to energy grids that are more adaptable to these changing conditions.
Creating Stronger Communities through the Comprehensive Planning Process
In the context of comprehensive planning, resilience planning adds an additional layer of foresight focused on the interconnected systems of community, climate, and the natural environment. To truly prepare communities for a wide range of possible outcomes, resilience planning requires planners and stakeholders to not only consider current conditions and future growth, but also to anticipate and plan for a range of possible scenarios exacerbated by climate change and environmental degradation.
To encourage – and in some cases, mandate – this proactive approach, states such as Washington, Colorado, and Oregon have incorporated new planning requirements for local governments to address climate through comprehensive plans. At the same time, it has also opened the door to related grant funding and technical assistance for community leaders to implement impactful initiatives by injecting resilience into each step of the comprehensive planning process.
Understanding Risks and Opportunities Through Meaningful Community Engagement
Community engagement and collaboration is an essential component of any planning process and takes on added importance when preparing for climate change and impacts to vulnerable communities. The process should bring in all voices of a community, particularly underserved ones and those that are most vulnerable to shocks and stressors. By involving a variety of groups, including tribal consultation, a more complete view of relevant factors is brought to the table while building consensus around goals.
An existing conditions analysis, including collecting data, understanding a wide range of community experiences, and identifying resources and assets available to mitigate impacts is a vital part of engaging the community toward a meaningful direction. A variety of engagement opportunities, from a booth at a popular event to interactive virtual open houses can provide a forum for gathering this information and beginning the public engagement process.
As planners work with elected officials and planning commissions to begin applying direction to specific projects and policy, findings from community engagement continue to help confirm and refine goals. Communication of community priorities gathered through public engagement is vital to creating this roadmap for future success.
An outdoor community engagement event in Vancouver, WA.
Plans for Austin Park Playground displayed for the community.
A planning session with community stakeholders in Vancouver, WA.
Meeting with community leadership in developing plans in Vancouver, WA.
Assessing Current Conditions, Hazards, and Community Assets
Mapping existing conditions (zoning, environmental conditions, population, traffic, property market, job market etc.) and community assets can reveal connections between individual factors, as well as larger systems in the area.
Examining these assets includes not only physical infrastructure but also social capital, cultural resources, and natural ecosystems. This includes identifying hazards (also known as shocks and stressors), such as hurricanes or wildfires, as well as chronic stressors like sea-level rise or economic inequality.
Shocks: Generally short-duration, rapid-onset or acute events that cause a disruption to normal life. (i.e. hurricane, wildfire, earthquake, flood etc.)
Stressors: Chronic, slow-onset or longer-term conditions that weaken a community over time and can impact community functions and well-being. (i.e. affordable housing, loss of habitat, air quality etc.)
“Futures” as a Plural in Outlining Desired Conditions
The comprehensive planning process often answers, “where do you want to be in 20 years, and how do you get there?” To develop strategies to adapt and thrive in the face of uncertainty involves envisioning future scenarios and understanding potential outcomes in more vivid detail than might be illustrated by a simple trendline or series of “high, medium, and low” projections.
Because future conditions are largely based on assumptions with certain metrics, there are a couple different ways to approach scenario development. Often, planning process participants are asked to choose between a variety of predetermined options for projects. An alternative to this approach involves preparing for several different pathways for development in order to respond to how future conditions evolve in reality, rather than a single expected outcome. This adaptable approach is especially important for resilience planning when considering factors such as how water levels might rise or where certain economic indicators will trend.
Whether it’s through innovative land use planning, investment in green infrastructure, or promoting sustainable transportation options, creating a roadmap for a more resilient future requires consideration of a range of interconnected community systems. Through the planning process, these systems and are aligned with a breadth of possible outcomes to design flexible, adaptive policies that are resilient to changing conditions.
Environmental Systems: Preserving ecosystems and natural resources to benefit community health.
Community and Social Systems: Supporting strong group structures and equitable government and social services.
Infrastructure Systems: Planning the built environment alongside natural systems to improve community functions.
Economic Systems: Improving access to opportunity and financial security.
Housing Systems: Developing access to shelter and strong surrounding community.
Developing Policy and Mapping Outcomes
Eventually, turning a planning vision into reality requires action. Implementing a comprehensive plan and co-benefits involves a mix of policy changes, infrastructure investments, and continued community engagement efforts.
At this stage, plans need to be double checked against state mandates, such as Washington’s Growth Management Act, while also translating overarching regulation to local jurisdictions. Those outcomes can then be adopted in the form of law by city councils or county commissions and funding options that will turn those plans into a reality can be explored.
Example State Legislation
Growth Management Act (Washington)
The resilience sub-element must include goals and polices to improve climate preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. This is mandatory for all counties and cities fully planning under the GMA and encouraged for others. As part of this, the greenhouse gas emissions sub-element requires goals and policies to reduce emissions and vehicle miles traveled.
Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (Oregon)
Intended to incentivize the adoption of transformational practices, programs, and policies that support sustainable development patterns and affordable housing into the future. This program will help communities align policies and regulations to focus on resilience around primarily housing and transportation.
Fortunately, there is growing support and funding available for resilience projects, with grants and other resources becoming increasingly accessible to communities committed to building a more resilient future. By aligning with state mandates and leveraging available resources, communities can turn their resilience plans into actionable projects that make a tangible difference in people’s lives.
Putting it All Together: A Multidisciplinary Planning Approach
In an era of unprecedented challenges, resilience planning offers a path forward for communities seeking to build a more sustainable, equitable, and adaptive future. Collaborative by nature, this effort benefits from the expertise of a number of practices focused on building improved communities.
By integrating resilience principles into the comprehensive planning process, communities can better prepare for and respond to the complex threats of the 21st century, ensuring a safer, more prosperous future for generations to come.
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About 1st and Strand – Project of the Year (Transportation Category: $5 million – $25 million)
About the Springwater Wetlands Restoration – Project of the Year (Environmental Category: $5 million – $25 million)
