Redesigning the American Neighborhood
The purpose of this project is to develop tools that will allow stakeholders, regulators, and researchers visualize alternative future environmental states that they imagine collectively and then optimize the mix of interventions at various scales that will best balance environmental and social, as well as economic, criteria. more »
Community Members
This project focuses on Potash Brook in South Burlington, Vermont. Potash Brook is a 2,145 ha watershed that drains directly into Lake Champlain. Within Potash watershed we have chosen the Butler Farm / Oak Creek subdivision to establish a "demonstration project" focused on particular storm water management issues that are relevant both locally and regionally. There is no particular reason that this community was chosen, except that it is "typical". This subdivision of over 200 homes on about 65 hectares is representative of so-called "cookie cutter" neighborhoods that typify urban sprawl. more »
Professionals
We are developing tools that can be applied directly to Potash Brook in South Burlington, Vermont, but also are relevant to other urbanizing watersheds in New England and elsewhere. The variously-scaled and spatially-distributed approaches that we are evaluating are intended to improve ecosystem health and community well-being over the long-term. They are especially cost-efficient when used as developments are being built. more »
Researchers
We are collecting data and assembling background physical overlays for a variety of variables and parameters. Key coverages include topography (digital elevation model), soils information, land cover and land use, geology, cadastral information, and census data. This is all information that we can assemble from existing databases. We use the new Vermont Geomorphic Assessment methodologies to evaluate the current condition of stream reaches. Samples are taken with an autosampler at each of three flow monitoring sites. more »