Not only do streets occupy 30 percent or more of the land area in many communities, they also provide space for storm water pipes, other utilities, and trees.

Several initiatives have been developed to address ways that streets can become more valuable parts of a community’s green network.

For example:

• New York City: Greening Infrastructure in the Public Right-of-Way, a project of the Design Trust for Public Space and the City of New York, produced High Performance Infrastructure Guidelines, a 2005 publication about building more environmentally sustainable streets, sidewalks, infrastructure, and urban landscaping.

• Portland: In Portland, Oregon, the Metro regional government did substantial research on designs about street trees, stream crossings and rights-of-way designs. The results are summarized in three booklets sold through its website.

• Seattle: Seattle’s green streets pilot project, Street Edge Alternatives, commonly called SEA Streets, was completed in the spring of 2001.  By reducing paved surfaces, planting trees and shrubs, and using swales, SEA Streets reduced the total volume of storm water leaving the street by 99 percent.