Making Denver more Resilient with Green Infrastructure

Brian Wethington, RLA, City and County of Denver

With the introduction of the Ultra-Urban Green Infrastructure Guidelines and the Green Infrastructure Implementation Strategy policy documents, the City of Denver developed guidance for the implementation of GI on a number of recently completed capital projects. This session will discuss the development of these policies, the impact they’ve had on some recently built projects and key lessons learned that may influence future policies. The session will end with an overview of the successor to the UUGIG, the Denver Greenstreet Guidelines, and potential criteria changes for water quality on private development and the role the policy changes can play in making Denver more resilient to climate change.

• Attendees will learn of the multiple benefits of Green Infrastructure, in particular how it could benefit Denver and other Front Range communities.
• Attendees will get detailed information on a handful of projects that have been built utilizing green infrastructure in the Denver area, including lessons learned during construction and establishment.
• Attendees will get an early look at the development of the new citywide greenstreet guidelines and draft criteria for utilizing Green Infrastructure on small sites.

Presented by Brian Wethington, RLA

Brian is the Green Infrastructure Project Manager for the City and County of Denver and responsible for the technical implementation of the green infrastructure strategies developed by Public Works. He provides initial project management for the planning and design of green infrastructure projects well as technical assistance for other city agencies and professional consultants developing projects that include a variety of different green infrastructure approaches. Prior to working for the City of Denver, Brian worked for the Bureau of Environmental Services in Portland, Oregon and in private practice as a Landscape Architect. There, he worked for nearly two decades on the integration of sustainable stormwater practices in the urban environment as both a designer and as public employee.