On April 26, 2018, the Green Infrastructure Foundation (GIF) announced the release of the report Community, Equity, and Placemaking with Green Infrastructure in Seattle: A Visualization and Cost-Benefit Analysis.
The report was an effort by GIF, in partnership with Seattle-area non-profit housing providers Capitol Hill Housing and InterIm CDA, and looked at the transformative potential of green infrastructure in three Seattle-area neighborhoods: Capitol Hill, Japantown/International District, and White Center.
Teams of interdisciplinary experts and local stakeholders convened for a one-day exercise where they reimagined their communities using green infrastructure. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted on the results, showing a compelling argument for green infrastructure.
The analysis from one site, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, found that a $1.01 million investment in construction, with an annual maintenance cost of $21,700, would provide a net benefit of $3.52 million over 50 years, while creating 33 job-years of employment over that period.
This project was the legacy project of the CitiesAlive 2017 Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference, and was generously supported by King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Wastewater Treatment Division, MIG | SVR, ARUP, GGLO Design, CMG Landscape Architecture, and Urban Horticulture Consulting.