The Green Infrastructure of San Antonio
I came back to San Antonio for the purpose of seeing how well their project to restore the urban ecosystem was going. The city implemented this restoration back in 2003, when a science report came out revealing a dramatic new national study showing how urban areas have a severe tree deficit, which is costing tax payers billions of dollars each year in water and air benefits. I was there, back in 2003, during the news conference that revealed the new study. The findings showed that the city of San Antonio has 27% tree canopy, 64% impervious or bare urban land, 7% open space, and 1% water.
The study mentions the improvement of the ‘Green’ infrastructure is the way San Antonio needs to go. The Green Infrastructure includes the complex interaction of vegetation with soil, air and the water system. Improving upon the existing land cover will serve as the new Green Infrastructure, which provides many benefits for the environment and for the community of San Antonio, including slowing storm water runoff, improving the quality of water, protecting soil erosion, improving the quality of the air, and creating excellent storage system of atmospheric carbons.
Today, looking out from the balcony of my hotel room , I can see vast improvements throughout the city that will protect the welfare, safety and health of the people of San Antonio. As I drove around the urban areas, I too noticed a better quality of canopy (trees) that are aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly, like the mesquite tree that produces a nice canopy and needs less water to maintain its health.
It was nice to see how San Antonio heeded the new study instead of creating more concrete culverts that will whisk away the water, the city is now using the ‘Green Infrastructure’ to save millions of tax dollars . By increasing the canopy coverage, this will remove 2.5 million pounds more of air pollutants, saving the city an estimated $6 million yearly and gain more Federal dollars. The amount of stormwater runoff will be reduced by 103 million cubic feet with more trees planted, saving $200 million in having to build new stormwater facilities.
I’ll be heading back to my city, Phoenix, and report that San Antonio’s plan to improve their urban ecosystem has worked and has actually saved the city money while promoting a healthy environment for its people.
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