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Urban, Community and Regional Planning

Bo Yang

Green infrastructure

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Landscape Architecture

Form-Based Variables For Stormwater Quality Performance: Comparing Three Bmp Types In Five U.S. States, Bo Yang, Amanda A. Goodwin, Ryan R. Dupont, Malgorzata Rycewicz-Borecki Jan 2014

Form-Based Variables For Stormwater Quality Performance: Comparing Three Bmp Types In Five U.S. States, Bo Yang, Amanda A. Goodwin, Ryan R. Dupont, Malgorzata Rycewicz-Borecki

Bo Yang

The efficacy of the best management practice (BMP) systems for stormwater treatment has been extensively discussed in respect to water quality. However, little research has been conducted on how form-based variables (e.g., shape, length) can affect the performance of BMP systems. This study presents empirical findings from three common BMP types—detention, retention, and wetland channel—in urban settings of five U.S. states. Total suspended solids (TSS), the number one pollutant carrier in stormwater, is selected for comparison. Multiple years of water quality data are collected from on-site grab samples and from the International Stormwater Database. Geographic Information System (GIS) is used …


Green Infrastructure Design For Stormwater Runoff And Water Quality: Empirical Evidence From Large Watershed-Scale Community Developments, Bo Yang, Shujuan Li Jan 2013

Green Infrastructure Design For Stormwater Runoff And Water Quality: Empirical Evidence From Large Watershed-Scale Community Developments, Bo Yang, Shujuan Li

Bo Yang

Green infrastructure (GI) design is advocated as a new paradigm for stormwater management, whereas current knowledge of GI design is mostly based on isolated design strategies used at small-scale sites. This study presents empirical findings from two watershed-scale community projects (89.4 km2 and 55.7 km2) in suburban Houston, Texas. The GI development integrates a suite of on-site, infiltration-based stormwater management designs, and an adjacent community development follows conventional drainage design. Parcel data were used to estimate the site impervious cover area. Observed streamflow and water quality data (i.e., NO3-N, NH3-N, and TP) were correlated with the site imperviousness. Results show …


Design-With-Nature For Multifunctional Landscapes: Environmental Benefits And Social Barriers In Community Development, Bo Yang, Ming-Han Li, Shujuan Li Jan 2013

Design-With-Nature For Multifunctional Landscapes: Environmental Benefits And Social Barriers In Community Development, Bo Yang, Ming-Han Li, Shujuan Li

Bo Yang

Since the early 1970s, Ian McHarg’s design-with-nature concept has been inspiring landscape architects, community and regional planners, and liked-minded professionals to create designs that take advantage of ecosystem services and promote environmental and public health. This study bridges the gap in the literature that has resulted from a lack of empirical examinations on the multiple performance benefits derived through design-with-nature and the under-investigated social aspect emanated from McHarg’s Ecological Determinism design approach. The Woodlands, TX, USA, an ecologically designed community development under McHarg’s approach, is compared with two adjacent communities that follow the conventional design approach. Using national environmental databases …


Community Planning Approach And Residents’ Perceived Safety: A Landscape Analysis Of Park Design In The Woodlands, Texas, Bo Yang, Shujuan Li, Bret R. Elder, Zhe Wang Jan 2013

Community Planning Approach And Residents’ Perceived Safety: A Landscape Analysis Of Park Design In The Woodlands, Texas, Bo Yang, Shujuan Li, Bret R. Elder, Zhe Wang

Bo Yang

This study compares community-park design and residents’ perceptions of safety in two subdivision communities in The Woodlands, Texas. The communities were built following two different planning approaches — the ecological approach and the conventional approach. Surveys have shown that residents generally feel safer in community parks built according to the latter approach. Using landscape metrics and home-to-park proximity indicators, we examine how different planning approaches affect park design and, as a result, influence residents’ perceptions of safety. We cross-validated the results with survey studies conducted over several years. The study findings suggest that park location, spatial configuration of woody vegetation, …