Land Use Planning Topics
Land Tools Compendium: Low Impact Development (LID)
References that have links are freely available on the internet.
Alberta Environment and Parks (2014). Efficient Use of Land: Implementation Tools Compendium. Government of Alberta.
Created in 2014 by the Government of Alberta, this compendium outlines tools and practices to implement strategies for the efficient use of land. The strategies are targeted to planners, landowners and developers, public land managers, and public service providers – anyone involved in land use decision making. Some of the strategies have been tested and applied within Alberta and other strategies are adapted from planning practices around the world.
US Environmental Protection Agency (2012). Aesthetics of low impact development: LID technologies can benefit your community’s visual environment
Challenges the perception that LID is unattractive.
US Environmental Protection Agency (2012). Benefits of low impact development: How LID can protect your community's resources.
The term low impact development (LID) refers to systems and practices that use or mimic natural processes that result in the infiltration, evapotranspiration or use of storm water in order to protect water quality and associated aquatic habitat. EPA currently uses the term green infrastructure to refer to the management of wet weather flows using these processes, and to refer to the patchwork of natural areas that provide habitat, flood protection, cleaner air and cleaner water. At both the site and regional scale, LID/GI practices aim to preserve, restore and create green space using soils, vegetation, and rainwater harvest techniques. LID is an approach to land development (or re-development) that works with nature to manage storm water as close to its source as possible. LID employs principles such as preserving and recreating natural landscape features, minimizing effective imperviousness to create functional and appealing site drainage that treat storm water as a resource rather than a waste product. There are many practices that have been used to adhere to these principles such as bio retention facilities, rain gardens, vegetated rooftops, rain barrels and permeable pavements. By implementing LID principles and practices, water can be managed in a way that reduces the impact of built areas and promotes the natural movement of water within an ecosystem or watershed. Applied on a broad scale, LID can maintain or restore a watershed's hydrologic and ecological functions.
US Environmental Protection Agency (2012). Costs of low impact development: LID saves money and protects your community’s resources
Challenges the perception that LID is too expensive.
US Environmental Protection Agency (2012). Encouraging low impact development: Incentives can encourage adoption of lid practices in your community
Highlights incentive strategies to catalyze LID.
US Environmental Protection Agency (2012). Maintenance of low impact development: Communities are easily managing LID practices
Challenges the perception that LID is too hard or costly to maintain.
US Environmental Protection Agency (2012). Proven LID technologies can work for your community
Challenges the perception that LID doesn't work.
US Environmental Protection Agency (2012). Terminology of low impact development: Distinguishing LID from other techniques that address community growth issues
Addresses LID’s place in the jumble of terms for managing the environmental impacts of growth that coexist today and describes and distinguishes these terms.
US Environmental Protection Agency (2014). Soil constraints and low impact development: Careful planning helps LID Work in clay soils
Challenges the perception that LID can’t work in clay soils.
US Environmental Protection Agency (2015). Slopes and low impact development: Designing and siting LID practices on slopes
Challenges the perception that LID doesn’t work in areas with significant slopes.
US Environmental Protection Agency (2017). Large volume storms and low impact development: Using LID practices in areas with intense rainfall events
Challenges the perception that LID doesn’t work in areas subject to large volume storms.
