March 07, 2017
Wedged into the Parchester Village neighborhood of Richmond, California, Breuner Marsh lies alongside the San Pablo Bay. The neighborhood was built around the marsh and the developer promised the predominately African American residents that the marsh would be permanently preserved, however, changes in ownership brought repeated attempts to develop the marsh. Whitney Dotson has lived......
March 07, 2017
In an effort to clean up U.S. water sources, federal standards mandate upgrades to stormwater infrastructure that prevents runoff pollution. To meet compliance standards, the highly-developed Washington, D.C. suburb of Prince George’s County, Maryland county must convert close to 5 percent of the county’s total area, or 15,000 acres in total, of watertight surfaces into......
Life-Cycle Cost Analyses Reaps Financial Benefits for Cities
March 07, 2017
Money is tight for surface transportation projects, the area where the investment gap is largest. Making the right choices with limited budgets is a challenge for many communities. The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) in California’s Bay Area found a way to streamline the process for its 26 transit authority members. Through its performance-based planning process,......
Sustainable Natural Waste Management
March 07, 2017
Arlington County, Virginia’s Solid Waste Bureau handles a massive amount of yard waste each year, processing approximately 50,000 cubic yards of leaves alone. To handle these materials effectively, the county opened a new Earth Products Recycling Yard, which operates for residents of the country at no charge. The facility is designed to handle large amounts......
Trash to Treasure Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
March 07, 2017
One man’s trash is Lancaster County’s energy or recycled material. The county’s Solid Waste Management Authority has a diversion rate of 98%–less than 2% of trash collected ends up in a landfill. To accomplish this, the municipality employs a two-pronged approach: first, it minimizes the volume and toxicity of waste by concentrating on recycling and......
March 07, 2017
Minimizing waste is better for the environment and offers residual benefits from job creation to money savings. Boulder, Colorado took a bold step, committing to be a Zero Waste community (or “dam near”) by 2025. To jumpstart action, the Boulder City Council adopted stringent requirements for city residents, including requiring all business to separate recyclables......
Innovative Solutions for Outdated Waste Facilities
March 07, 2017
What becomes of a landfill once it is filled? Escambia County, Florida’s landfill was negatively affecting the community, both environmentally and aesthetically. The 23-acre complex was covered with Closure Turf, a cover system, which can last up to 100 years and is designed to contain waste, eliminate soil erosion, enhance gas collection, and increase slope......
A Coordinated Approach to School Maintenance
March 07, 2017
The state of Wyoming invested over $3 billion to modernize its public school facilities over the last 15 years. The initiatives were successful, but today, the state faces the challenge of ensuring that these investments and projects are maintained properly. The Wyoming’s School Facilities Department has developed a program whereby both state and local funds......
Montana DOT Debuts Software to Unify Statewide Traffic Management
March 07, 2017
The Montana Department of Transportation is using new software and radio-based technology integrated with existing traffic management systems. The program helps coordinate traffic light times across systems, and communicates work orders and generates system overviews directly to technicians, speeding up the repair process. It also streamlines the management of the state’s various traffic management systems,......
March 07, 2017
With its narrow streets, numerous intersections, and high-speed vehicle traffic, historic Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans had become one of Louisiana’s most hazardous routes for pedestrians and cyclists. The Paths to Progress Program, a coordinated transportation improvement program between the Federal Highway Administration’s Louisiana Division Office, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and local agencies changed......
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