Scroll down to see story maps created and published by the Urban Waters Learning Network.
Art and Environmental Awareness
Fostering Community Connection and Collaboration
February 12, 2024
Art—including mural painting, performance, film, and photography—can provide a direct pathway for people young and old to connect with their environment and feel responsible for taking care of it, leading to greater resilience by fostering stewardship.
In this Story Map, we draw together interviews with organizers working with artists to create interactive and engaging spaces that foster awareness and stewardship among residents, scientists, youths, and others.
Green Infrastructure
Multiple Benefits for Urban Waters Communities
October 10, 2023
The modern built urban landscape impedes the natural processes and changes the environments. Often, they are eliminated altogether. As a result, urban hydrology is complex and changing. Water flow paths, pollutant discharges, and flood impacts are more difficult to project on an ongoing basis. Urban areas are subject to the impacts of increased flood peaks, stormwater run-off, water quality issues, and increased heat. Climate change and historical inequities compound all these.
There is seldom a single solution for these multiple issues that urban communities face. Green infrastructure comes pretty close, especially when planned, designed, and implemented equitably. Members of the Urban Waters Learning Network (UWLN) are working on green infrastructure to address different environmental issues. Case study examples highlighted here come from Providence, RI; New Orleans, LA, and Tucson, AZ.
Community Engagement and Planning for Watershed Resilience
Grand Rapids Urban Waters Federal Partnership
July 13, 2023
The focus of Grand River/Grand Rapids UWFP has been on the restoration of the rapids in the Grand River as it flows through downtown Grand Rapids. The Partnership location also seeks to accelerate and coordinate projects that are critical to improving water quality and public health, restoring forest resources, and fostering community stewardship in the urban portion of the watershed. As the Partnership has grown, it has evolved into a comprehensive and ever-expanding network of partners with projects that support both upstream and downstream communities throughout the watershed. Moving forward, the intention is to grow the Partnership and connect community members with their waterway. One of the ways in which the Partnership is expanding is on the topic of watershed resilience planning and community engagement.
Equitable Development for Urban Waters
Understanding Gentrification and Preventing Displacement
May 11, 2022
New development projects in urban waters communities—like river restoration and the creation of greenspaces—are intended to create more sustainable and resilient communities; but the impacts often result in a reduced sense of belonging for long-time residents coinciding with an increase in property values that is followed by the displacement of surrounding communities. Equitable development, in this case, means greening without increasing displacement pressures on already stressed urban communities. There are some important key elements that make this work possible in urban waters settings.
Restoration and Resilience in NYC
Bronx and Harlem River Watersheds Urban Waters Federal Partnership
Sept 28, 2021
The Bronx and Harlem River Watersheds Urban Waters Federal Partnership was designed to reconnect marginalized communities in the Bronx to healthy and clean waterways and riverfronts. The Partnership is led by the Department of the Interior and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) New York Water Science Center. The Bronx and Harlem Partnership and its Ambassador aim to coordinate and elevate the efforts of over 40 state and community partners in both watersheds, finding common ground between agencies and communities in support of these critical waterways.
Managing Urban Litter
Resources and Case Studies
July 13, 2021
Successful litter management projects include a mix of strategies such as source prevention, citizen science, community education, partnerships, and research. While these are often used together, each of the highlighted programs have strengths that make them standout.
Community Solutions for Urban Flood Resilience
Snapshots from the Urban Waters Learning Network
March 22, 2021
Building flood resilience—like water—can take many shapes. Members of the Urban Waters Learning Network (UWLN) are working on community solutions for urban flood resilience. Community engagement and education, green infrastructure, and habitat restoration are just a few solutions that communities are enacting to adapt to and minimize flooding impacts.
Renew the Blue River
Blue River (MO) Urban Waters Federal Partnership
August 24, 2020
Since 2011, the EPA Urban Waters Federal Partnership program has expanded to 20 different locations nationwide. In June 2013, the Blue River in Kansas City, MO became a federal partnership location, setting out to work with the community and local organizations to revitalize the Blue River Watershed. Read more about the Partnership in the UWLN's most recent story map.
Urban Water Quality and Public Health
Raising awareness in three Urban Waters Learning Network locations
April 13, 2020
The story map from the Urban Waters Learning Network highlights three unique water quality projects by Groundwork Denver, Heal the Bay, and NY/NJ Baykeeper. All three organizations are working toward healthier environments for underserved communities living in and around their urban waterways.
Green Spaces for Urban Communities
Project Highlights of the Urban Waters Learning Network
Dec 4, 2019
Read about how three Urban Waters Learning Network organizations--Groundwork Hudson Valley, The Conservation Fund, and Groundwork Richmond--are working to create more green spaces in communities most affected by environmental injustices.
