Ecological and economic impacts of green roofs and permeable pavements at the city level: the case of Corvallis, Oregon

Long Zhou, Guoqiang Shen, Thomas Woodfin, Tian Chen and Kun Song

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2018, vol. 61, issue 3, 430-450

Abstract: A city's spatial footprint is covered by extensive impervious building roofs and paved surfaces, which contribute to greater storm-water runoff, more surface pollutants, and less carbon sequestration, hence, worse ecosystem services. This research conducts an empirical study on the ecological and economic impacts of a citywide adoption of green roofs and permeable pavements in Corvallis, OR. The effects on ecosystem services of using green roofs and pervious pavements for a low impact development are modelled using Integrated Value of Ecosystem Services Trade-offs and compared to those from the City's current conventional development without green roofs and pervious pavements. The differences are analysed for ecological impact by storm-water yield, storm-water purification, and carbon sequestration and economic impact by a cost-benefit comparison. The results indicate that low impact development, especially intensive green roofs on commercial/industrial buildings and permeable pavements for parking lots, plays a significant role, even with a higher initial implementation cost, for long-term urban sustainability.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1080/09640568.2017.1314859

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