Accounting for the Co-Benefits of Green Infrastructure

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) conducted a study to comprehensively examine the costs and co-benefits of green infrastructure using a triple bottom line (TBL) approach. A literature review considered the co-benefits offered by stormwater controls as well as urban vegetation. Co-benefits monitoring included temperature analyses, time-lapse cameras, and pollinator surveys across a number of green infrastructure types and locations. The cost analysis of green infrastructure spanned both economic and environmental costs, derived from construction and maintenance details from existing stormwater controls along with SimaPro, an environmental life-cycle analysis database. The results of the analysis were compiled into an online calculator designed to inform planning and outreach efforts by presenting more than 25 cost and benefit parameters. The information presented by this analysis and the associated calculator provide valuable support to planning and public outreach efforts associated with the city's green infrastructure program, allowing DEP to support both stormwater management and broader sustainability goals.