From vision to reality : Making cities flood resilient by implementing green infrastructure strategies [The case of the City of Hoboken, New Jersey]

Urban water system arounds the globe are exposed to increased pressures due to climate change, population growth and ageing infrastructure. Despite the present recognition of a need for change in the traditional approach, and awareness of the benefits provided by sustainable urban stormwater systems, there are rare examples of local success in regulating and implementing city wide practices. The aim of this study is to develop an implementation framework for transforming green infrastructure stormwater management strategies into real projects in Hoboken, a highly urbanized city in New Jersey affected by regular pluvial flooding. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, two green infrastructure strategies were developed: (1) Resist, Delay, Store, Discharge: A comprehensive urban water strategy and (2) Green Infrastructure Strategic Plan. 21 semi structured interviews with core urban water stakeholders were conducted and the research was organized around the previously developed ''fit for purpose'' framework. The available green infrastructure system typology was used to map the current context in Hoboken. Implementation lessons from the ''green infrastructure champion cities" across the United States were applied to Hoboken's situation. The analysis revealed that there are numerous drivers for green infrastructure in Hoboken, mainly the regulatory driver to comply with federal law and to eliminate combined sewer overflows, and the present political buy- in from the local government. However, the drivers were outweighted by the number of barriers, identified in 5 categories: (1) technical, (2) physical, (3) financial, (4) institutional and (5) legal and regulatory. Based on an innovative approach of the interaction between drivers and barriers and their combination with the best practices available, an implementation framework was developed in order to map the future steps needed for implementing a city wide green infrastructure. The framework developed described implementation as a process distinguished in three phases: initiation, uptake and standard practice. The framework proved that the implementation is a complex, dynamic, iterative, long lasting process requiring significant changes in politics, policy, regulations and tax systems. Hoboken is in the beginning of its efforts, trying to deliver first projects demonstrating the concept of green infrastructure. The individual tools to overcome each barrier and deliver a city wide green infrastructure through implementation framework were proposed and discussed, thus making it a valuable tool to use for the local decision makers. The task to be accomplished in Hoboken is complex. The conclusions of this work indicate the presence of the initial momentum and strong support for green infrastructure. Thus, by following the framework outlined, green infrastructure can become an important constituent of future stormwater management in Hoboken