Grey infrastructure projects typically include a team of a few people: an engineer, a drafts person, and possibly a project manager. Grey infrastructure for stormwater is out of sight, buried in the ground, and has one function: to remove stormwater from where it lands as quickly as possible. These projects have no need for community engagement and input.
With green infrastructure or nature-based solutions (NBS) projects, there are many stakeholders and interested parties who take part: stewardship groups, residents, business owners, engineers, planners, landscape architects, scientists, and others. They become engaged in the process of design, and they are active participants after implementation. Connections are made, relationships are built, and people feel a sense of community, pride, ownership, and belonging. There are endless opportunities to learn from the experiences and knowledge of others when working alongside people with different backgrounds, and to share skills and link research and practice to find the best solutions.
Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Centennial Park, shown below is a great example of a NBS that functions as water storage and meets the needs of many stakeholders. During heavy rains, the park is able to store one million gallons of water. In addition to flood mitigation, the park provides benefits of recreation, culture, healthy lifestyle, education, reduction of heat island effect, and improved water, noise and air quality. People who use this infrastructure can learn and can experience first-hand how NBS provides many benefits.
