• Green Infrastructure
  • Learn
  • Plan
    • Commit to Action
    • Start Fast
    • Assess the Situation
    • Set Goals
    • Plan
    • Implement
    • Measure Success
  • Act
  • Leading Actions
Some Success Factors
If the long-term vision is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent, success will hinge on many underlying factors.
  • When you evaluate opportunities to create more sustainable infrastructure, consider not just the technical and economic aspects, but also the political, social and ecological issues, as well as the cultural drivers and barriers.
  • Don't stop at identifying barriers. Ask what's needed to remove the barrier. What levers can you pull to improve your business case?
  • Address public-sector barriers and drivers. Make sure the city or county staff learns about sustainable infrastructure.
  • Address private-sector barriers and drivers, too. Give developers tools & incentives to consider alternative infrastructure for their projects. Help residents and businesses learn how to reduce demands on infrastructure and the energy used in delivering services. Make sure your city’s or county’s own red tape isn't blocking innovations or other infrastructure changes that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Review city department structures to integrate planning and engineering for sustainable features into all infrastructure projects.
  • Assess biophysical conditions — such as soil quality, wind, and solar intensity and angles — that could support sustainable infrastructure projects. 
  • Is the city facing any capacity issues, such as water shortages, brownouts or blackouts? If so, this could be an opportunity to implement some of the recommendations in this guide as you plan upgrades. 
  • Rather than trying to write new policies from scratch, accelerate planning, repair or retrofit projects by adapting sustainable infrastructure guidelines developed in other cities and counties. Knowing what others are doing also gives you good ideas to include when existing infrastructure plans in your own community come up for periodic review.
  • Stay ahead of the changing regulatory landscape by bringing civil engineering practices in line with objectives of Practice, Education and Research for Sustainable Infrastructure (PERSI).
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