Integrating Urban Planning and Water Management Through Green Infrastructure in the United States-Mexico Border
Creating sustainable, resilient, and livable cities calls for integrative approaches and collaborative practices across temporal and spatial scales. However, practicability is challenged by institutional, social, and technical complexities and the need to build collective understanding of integrated...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2022.782922/full |
| _version_ | 1819280452425351168 |
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| author | Francisco Lara-Valencia Margaret Garcia Laura M. Norman Alma Anides Morales Alma Anides Morales Edgar E. Castellanos-Rubio |
| author_facet | Francisco Lara-Valencia Margaret Garcia Laura M. Norman Alma Anides Morales Alma Anides Morales Edgar E. Castellanos-Rubio |
| author_sort | Francisco Lara-Valencia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Creating sustainable, resilient, and livable cities calls for integrative approaches and collaborative practices across temporal and spatial scales. However, practicability is challenged by institutional, social, and technical complexities and the need to build collective understanding of integrated approaches. Rapid urbanization along the United States-Mexico border, fueled by industrialization, trade, and migration, has resulted in cities confronted with recurrent flooding risk, extended drought, water pollution, habitat destruction and systemic vulnerabilities. The international border, which separates natural and built ecosystems, is both a challenge and an opportunity, making a unique social and institutional setting ideal for testing the integration of urban planning and water management. Our research focuses on fusing multi-functional and multi-scalar green infrastructure to restore ecosystem services through a strategic binational planning process. This paper describes this planning process, including the development and application of both a land suitability analysis and a hydrological model to optimally site green infrastructure in the Nogales, Arizona, United States—Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, cross border region. We draw lessons from this process and stakeholder feedback focused on the potential for urban green infrastructure, to allow for adaptation and even transformation in the face of current and future challenges such as limited resources, underdeveloped governance, bordering, and climate change. In sum, a cross border network of green infrastructure can provide a backbone to connect this transboundary watershed while providing both hydrological and social benefits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T00:44:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-15f093b5a9a442bba05f3ddf59d7e97f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-9375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T00:44:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-15f093b5a9a442bba05f3ddf59d7e97f2022-12-21T17:23:51ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Water2624-93752022-02-01410.3389/frwa.2022.782922782922Integrating Urban Planning and Water Management Through Green Infrastructure in the United States-Mexico BorderFrancisco Lara-Valencia0Margaret Garcia1Laura M. Norman2Alma Anides Morales3Alma Anides Morales4Edgar E. Castellanos-Rubio5School of Transborder Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United StatesSchool of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United StatesWestern Geographic Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Tucson, AZ, United StatesWestern Geographic Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Tucson, AZ, United StatesDepartment of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United StatesInstituto Municipal de Investigación y Planeación (IMIP), Nogales, MexicoCreating sustainable, resilient, and livable cities calls for integrative approaches and collaborative practices across temporal and spatial scales. However, practicability is challenged by institutional, social, and technical complexities and the need to build collective understanding of integrated approaches. Rapid urbanization along the United States-Mexico border, fueled by industrialization, trade, and migration, has resulted in cities confronted with recurrent flooding risk, extended drought, water pollution, habitat destruction and systemic vulnerabilities. The international border, which separates natural and built ecosystems, is both a challenge and an opportunity, making a unique social and institutional setting ideal for testing the integration of urban planning and water management. Our research focuses on fusing multi-functional and multi-scalar green infrastructure to restore ecosystem services through a strategic binational planning process. This paper describes this planning process, including the development and application of both a land suitability analysis and a hydrological model to optimally site green infrastructure in the Nogales, Arizona, United States—Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, cross border region. We draw lessons from this process and stakeholder feedback focused on the potential for urban green infrastructure, to allow for adaptation and even transformation in the face of current and future challenges such as limited resources, underdeveloped governance, bordering, and climate change. In sum, a cross border network of green infrastructure can provide a backbone to connect this transboundary watershed while providing both hydrological and social benefits.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2022.782922/fullurban water managementgreen infrastructure (GI)urban planningborder citiesland suitability analysishydrological modeling |
| spellingShingle | Francisco Lara-Valencia Margaret Garcia Laura M. Norman Alma Anides Morales Alma Anides Morales Edgar E. Castellanos-Rubio Integrating Urban Planning and Water Management Through Green Infrastructure in the United States-Mexico Border Frontiers in Water urban water management green infrastructure (GI) urban planning border cities land suitability analysis hydrological modeling |
| title | Integrating Urban Planning and Water Management Through Green Infrastructure in the United States-Mexico Border |
| title_full | Integrating Urban Planning and Water Management Through Green Infrastructure in the United States-Mexico Border |
| title_fullStr | Integrating Urban Planning and Water Management Through Green Infrastructure in the United States-Mexico Border |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrating Urban Planning and Water Management Through Green Infrastructure in the United States-Mexico Border |
| title_short | Integrating Urban Planning and Water Management Through Green Infrastructure in the United States-Mexico Border |
| title_sort | integrating urban planning and water management through green infrastructure in the united states mexico border |
| topic | urban water management green infrastructure (GI) urban planning border cities land suitability analysis hydrological modeling |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2022.782922/full |
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