What Is Green Infrastructure?
What Is Green Infrastructure? We partner with plants and soil to slow down and clean stormwater...
Green infrastructure takes advantage of the natural processes of soils and plants in order to slow down and filter stormwater to keep it from overwhelming our sewer system.
Examples of Green Infrastructure
Rain Gardens
Rain gardens capture stormwater runoff from streets, roofs, and parking lots. Plants and soil absorb that water, reducing the amount of runoff flowing into our sewer system.
Permeable Paving
Permeable paving allows stormwater to soak into the ground in contrast to hard surfaces (such as concrete or asphalt) where stormwater flows rapidly into the sewer system.
Green Bulb-Outs
Green bulb-outs extend the sidewalk, which slows traffic and reduces the distance to cross the street, increasing pedestrian visibility and safety. These projects also capture and treat stormwater.
Visit SF Projects
See an interactive map of green infrastructure projects in San Francisco.
Community Benefits of Green Infrastructure
- Enhances community space and beautifies streets.
- Improves street conditions and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.
- Increases biodiversity and brings green to our neighborhoods.
- Creates a more livable habitat for birds, native plants, and residents.
- Recharges groundwater.
- Reduces Urban Heat Island Effect.
- Improves air quality.
- Creates green jobs.
- Reduces wastewater treatment costs and energy consumption.
Examples of Green Infrastructure Projects in San Francisco
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Cesar Chavez Streetscape Improvement
Completed in March 2014 as a demonstration project for the Better Streets Plan, the project includes 18 rain gardens along more than a half mile of impervious streetscape from Hampshire Street to Guerrero Street in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. Additional improvements include traffic-calming bulb-outs, street trees, drought-tolerant landscaping and a permanent bike lane.
- Cesar Chavez Streetscape Improvement Project Report [UPLOAD PDF]
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Kimberg Rainwater Harvesting System
The Kimberg Rainwater Harvesting System was installed in 2009 by the homeowner in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. The system collects rainfall from a 1,100 square foot rooftop, treats the water via settling, filtration and Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, then distributes treated water to interior plumbing fixtures (toilets and laundry machine) and to an exterior hose bib.
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Newcomb Avenue Green Street
The Newcomb Avenue Green Street was a City of San Francisco pilot project to assess the benefits of green infrastructure implementation to San Francisco's combined sewer system. The model block seeks to provide multiple benefits including urban beautification, traffic calming, increased community gathering spaces, and some return to historical watershed function.
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San Francisco State University: Bioswale
Since 2010, San Francisco State University professors, facilities and grounds crews, and the SFSU Planning Department have successfully collaborated on several green infrastructure installations across the campus. The traditional lawn areas surrounding the SFSU Science Building were selected for green infrastructure construction with the intention to serve as an educational opportunity for the SFSU community.
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San Francisco State University: Infiltration Basin
San Francisco State University has implemented several green infrastructure installations across the main campus. The campus has many impervious areas including expansive rooftops, sidewalk areas, and parking lots that result in high stormwater flow rates into the combined sewer system without abatement. Stormwater runoff in some locations is now being directed into bioretention planters, vegetated swales, cisterns and other GI controls.
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Sunset Circle
Vegetated swales and infiltration basins were constructed at the Sunset Circle parking lot to reduce stormwater flow to adjacent Lake Merced. The green infrastructure was installed in 2006, and from 2012 to 2014 stormwater flow exiting the system was monitored.