Categories: Philly

PWD Releases Green Streets Design Manual

The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) established its Green Cities, Clean Waters Plan as an innovative, greener approach to stormwater management. Rather than tear apart and rebuild old sewage drains, the Green Cities, Clean Waters plan encourages innovative, sustainable solutions like porous pavements, creative foliage layouts and street bump-outs. The 25-year plan has just begun.

Green Streets Design Manual

The PWD recently released the City of Philadelphia’s Green Streets Design Manual, to move forward with the process. Engineers, city planners and landscape architects can use the manual to build innovative and sustainable streets project in Philadelphia (and any urban areas in the world)! This breaks down what designs work best for different street types.

Not sure about how the city will approve the project? The manual also includes specifics on necessary permitting, construction & inspection processes.

The PWD collaborated with the Mayor’s Office of Transpiration and Utilities, Streets Department, Philadelphia Parks & Rec, PennDOT and other utility agencies to develop the detailed designs.

As City of Philadelphia Deputy Mayor for Transportation and Utilities Rina Cutler stated:

“The Green Street Design Manual is the the foundation for a 21st century street network in Philadelphia. With over 2,500 miles of streets producing large quantities of polluted stormwater runoff, the City needs a standardized playbook for incorporating green features into the building and rebuilding of our city streets. This manual provides that playbook.”

Readers, did you take a look at the manual?

Julie Hancher

Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake.

Recent Posts

25% of City is solar-powered*, Getting to Green & new watershed exhibit

The latest green news you missed. Here comes the sun! Approximately 25% of municipal city…

1 day ago

Native plants and the future of our drinking water

Native plants are part of a collective solution to the expanding problem of stormwater mitigation…

3 days ago

Earth week: Winner of SBN’s Food Saver Challenge, Swarthmore’s Solar purchase & more

Read the latest sustainability news. Earth Day was Monday is every day, and was celebrated…

1 week ago

Four Ways to Improve Recycling in Philly

Recycling in Philly is broken. Here’s how Mayor Parker’s administration could fix it. Recycling in…

1 week ago

The EPA’s Efforts in Climate Action, Public Engagement, and Earth Month Initiatives

We sat down with Adam Ortiz, EPA's Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator to chat about transparency and…

2 weeks ago

Is My Recycling Being … Recycled?

Philadelphians' skepticism about the City’s waste policies has led to an abysmal recycling rate. Here’s…

2 weeks ago