The June 2019 Article, Entitled “Endless Possibilities”, Offers Suggestions, Best Practices of Green-Infrastructure Planning for Parks and Public Spaces
R. Patrick Worzer, the Principal Owner and Design Leader for Gateway Design Studio, LLC – a professional planning, landscape architectural and environmental design firm located in St. Louis – is one of the featured authors in the June 2019 issue of Parks & Recreation Business Magazine.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines green infrastructure as “an array of products, technologies and practices that use natural systems – or engineered systems that mimic natural processes – to enhance overall environmental quality and provide utility services. Worzer’s article, “Endless Possibilities”, focuses on some of those green infrastructure strategies that can most effectively be applied to parks and public spaces.
According to Worzer, “Parks and recreation professionals have the opportunity to be at the forefront of implementing green infrastructure within parkland and recreational complexes. While this infrastructure has been increasingly utilized over the past 10 years, green applications tend to be focused on public works and specialized private development projects, such as LEED. Parks have the opportunity to position themselves as an important resource for municipalities, helping to lead the way in the continuously growing field of water-resource mitigation and conservation.”
These practices rely heavily on the conservation of existing drainage networks, as well as engineering structured soils and specialized plants to detain and retain storm water. They are considered part of green-infrastructure planning:
- Rain gardens and bio-swales
- Rain barrels and below-ground cisterns
- Porous pavement
- Trees and enhanced street tree pits.
Other aspects of green infrastructure may include the preservation, restoration, or enhancement of larger patches and corridors of vegetation, such as forests, floodplains, stream corridors, and wetlands. These areas can often be found within parklands and provide a great resource for park managers to use for effective storm-water control and enhanced environmental quality within a community.
Worzer continues, “No matter whether parks systems are small or large, green infrastructure offers a great way to transform how storm water is managed within public spaces. Conventional storm inlets, piping and detention basins have increasingly cost municipalities more time and money in construction and replacement. By carefully evaluating and determining which areas of parkland can incorporate green infrastructure, the solution can be one of great success and pride when taking the initiative to be at the forefront of this technology.”
He adds, “It is important to mention that any project requires careful analysis, design and engineering in order to perform with maximum results. Involving professionals who are experienced with and knowledgeable of green infrastructure techniques and construction is critical to achieving success.”
For more information regarding the Gateway Design Studio, LLC and the article in the June 2019 issue of Parks & Recreation Business, the public can contact Patrick Worzer at (314) 703-1800 or visit the company’s web site at www.gatewayds.com.
The entire article is available online at https://www.parksandrecbusiness.com/articles/2019/5/endless-possibilities.
R. Patrick Worzer, ASLA, RLA, CLARB serves as the principal owner and design leader for Gateway Design Studio, LLC, a professional planning, landscape architectural and environmental design firm located in St. Louis, Mo. Worzer is a member of the following organizations; ASLA – American Society of Landscape Architects and MPRA-Missouri Parks and Recreation Association and is a Certified Professional with CLARB – Council of Landscape Architects Registration Board. He can be reached via email at rpworzer@gatewayds.com.
Gateway Design Studio, LLC is a next generation design firm based on over 25-years commitment of experience and service to many of our past and present clients. GDS serves its clients by providing innovative urban planning, landscape architecture and environmental design within the Midwest region. Our design expertise transcends within a variety of markets notably in parks/recreation, institutional, communities and commercial/office sectors. Past projects range in construction value from $25,000 to $10 Million.