Green Infrastructure and Urban Sustainability

Patricia Culligan, Matthew H. McCloskey Dean of the College of Engineering

Abstract:  As the pace of urbanization accelerates, the sustainable future of our cites becomes ever more important. In the US and elsewhere, urban populations face several communal threats, including urban stormwater management in the face of increasingly intense rainfall events, and the rise of urban temperatures. To tackle both of these challenges, many cities are turning to green infrastructure.  Green infrastructure includes networks of green space, including natural areas such as woodlands, built areas such as parks and community gardens, and engineered interventions such as green roofs, rain-gardens, bioswales and other green designs. Green infrastructure interventions can soak up rainfall where it falls, protecting our cities against the devastation and disruption of frequent flooding: These interventions can also help cool our cities.

This talk will present results from a multi-year research program that has been investigating the performance of a suite of engineered green infrastructure types located in New York City, including green roofs, urban canopies and right-of-way bioswales. Data collection, modeling protocols and findings from the research program will be discussed, as well as the broader role of green infrastructure in promoting urban sustainability.

Patricia Culligan is the Matthew H. McCloskey Dean of Notre Dame’s College of Engineering. She is internationally recognized for her expertise in water resources and geo-environmental engineering, which focuses on sustainable urban infrastructure, social networks, and the application of advanced measurement and sensing technologies to improve water, energy, and environmental management. Prior to joining Notre Dame, Culligan was the Department Chair and Carleton Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University, where she also served as the Founding Associate Director of Columbia’s Data Science Institute and on the Executive Committee of the Earth Institute.

To register, please email westerink.5@nd.edu