The Green Infrastructure Decision Support Tool - Lessons and Possibilities

By Heather Kachel
September 3, 2014

At Climate Interactive, we create tools that help political leaders and decision-makers make smart decisions in the face of a change climate. While many of our tools take a global perspective, our Green Infrastructure Decision Support Tool is designed to help municipalities and communities test scenarios and see the solutions that best deliver storm water management, financial savings, good jobs, beautiful neighborhoods and resilience to extreme weather.

Streetside Swale in Seattle, Washington. Source: U.S. EPA

The Green Infrastructure Decision Support Tool, currently in development in Milwaukee, is a partnership between Climate Interactive and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, with support from the Surdna Foundation. Recently, Beth Sawin talked with the Surdna Foundation about the tool and how it will provide real, tangible benefits to communities throughout the country.

Specifically, Beth contends that the tool can inspire hope in communities concerned about flood and storm threats. “It can be an antidote to a feeling of powerlessness. In complex systems, no single organization can effect change by itself. And no single actor can make a city work better. But seeing what’s possible if the work is divided can be a source of hope.”

Further, “there’s a real potential for discovering win/win situations,” says Beth. “Groups may identify where the interests of the budget, water quality, the beach, air quality and energy savings all line up. You can get quite close to a situation in which you can ‘have it all.‘”

As development moves forward, the Green Infrastructure Decision Support Tool will be  transferred to use in other communities. “We hope to partner with a few other cities to build on the expertise in Milwaukee and to add new parameters to the tool to represent different places.” Read the full interview and learn more about the Green Infrastructure Decision Support Tool.