Green Infrastructure Tours Showcase Philadelphia’s Green City Clean Waters Innovations

Did you know Philadelphia has an international reputation as a city where green design and innovation are thriving?

Earlier in December, the Philadelphia Water Department led a group of business leaders and engineers from Beijing, China on a tour of green stormwater infrastructure sites across Philadelphia.

The group of experts came to Philadelphia because our 25-year Green City, Clean Waters Plan is recognized as one of the most ambitious and forward-thinking green infrastructure programs in the United States and internationally.

Their goal was to explore potential solutions that could help Beijing—a city of over 21 million people—address issues with stormwater runoff and sewer overflows.

The sites visited included a rain garden at Panati Playground in Allegheny West, stormwater bumpouts on Queen Lane in East Falls, a series of stepped rain gardens at Germantown’s Cliveden Park, and various stormwater systems at the award-winning Venice Island Performing Arts and Recreation Center.

The event was one of more than a dozen green stormwater infrastructure tours provided by PWD in 2016, and nearly 400 participants from organizations including the Department of Environmental Protection and the Sierra Club came to Philadelphia to see what Green City, Clean Waters looks like.

Have a class, organization or company interested in learning more about Philadelphia’s growing network if green infrastructure tools? Visit the Philadelphia Water Department GSI Tours page and fill out a form.

Please note that for groups of less than 10, we will provide site information and maps for a self-guided tour.

We also have several virtual tours and apps that let you explore green infrastructure investments and tools:

-- Big Green Map – Green Tool Locations citywide

-- Big Green Block in Fishtown

-- Green Stormwater Infrastructure Video Tour

-- GSI Tools in Philly - Overview of Common Green Tools Used

Rain Check Workshops

If you live in Philadelphia, sign up now for one of the upcoming Rain Check Residential Stormwater Workshops in January to learn how to better manage stormwater.

For more on Philadelphia’s green infrastructure approach to solving water quality problems, visit the Philadelphia Water Department’s Green City, Clean Waters Plan webpage.

(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Water Department Blog.)