Originally published in Crain’s Chicago Business on April 15, 2024
Last summer the Chicago area was hit with unprecedented storms, unleashing as much as nine inches of rain at a time on the South and West sides. The aftermath was eye-opening: flooded homes and basements, cars ruined in underwater garages and residents of illegal basement apartments losing everything, unable to access insurance payouts or emergency FEMA funding. This flooding is about more than increasing rainfall from climate change. It highlights how our city’s most vulnerable communities face the greatest risks, worsened by a history of redlining and disinvestment. This disaster should be a wake-up call for our region’s leaders, making clear the urgent need to tackle these interconnected problems so our most affected residents don’t have to live in fear every time it rains.
At Greenprint Partners, we work closely with state and local governments across the country to plan, design and implement sustainable, equitable solutions to stormwater issues. We know that the challenges of urban flooding require multi-dimensional solutions, including infrastructure upgrades, policy updates and behavior change. As a Chicago-based firm, we have a unique vantage point into how solutions working nationwide could be successful here, given the right political support and leadership. Here are four recommendations for how Chicagoland could move the needle on stormwater and flooding, laying the groundwork for a more resilient region.
Take advantage of available federal funding while we still can.
An unprecedented amount of federal funding is available for climate resilience and water infrastructure projects. Unfortunately, small and low-capacity municipalities are not well-positioned to develop high-impact projects and successfully apply for and administer the money. Cleveland’s corollary to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, has committed to maximizing the amount of federal grant funding that supports projects in disadvantaged communities in its service area, leveraging its capacity and expertise to help small municipalities identify good-fit projects, apply for funding and implement projects. Cook County is showing similar promise with its new $20 million Build Up Cook program, in which water infrastructure will likely be an area of focus.
Use simple and effective branding and communications.
Rallying residents and political leaders around actionable solutions begins with simple framing and compelling communications. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) has rallied its ratepayers around a vision of zero overflows and zero basement backups for a healthier Milwaukee region and a cleaner Lake Michigan, activating the community to become fellow “Fresh Coast Guardians.” All of its stormwater programs and resources align with the Fresh Coast branding. MMSD staff are highly visible at community events, and successes are shared regularly on their active social media feeds.
Develop partnerships that activate government, institutions, businesses and residents to implement creative solutions.
Government alone cannot solve our flooding challenges. The paved surfaces that cause rain to run off into our streets, sewers and basements are found on public and private property alike. Green infrastructure — the use of soils, native plants and permeable pavements to help capture and store rainwater right where it falls — is an important item in the stormwater management toolkit but one that requires new approaches to policies, programs and procurement methods to get green infrastructure installed citywide. Again, Milwaukee is a national leader, with innovative programs like Fresh Coast Green Communities, which provides funding and technical assistance to schools, businesses, institutions and other large property owners to design, install and maintain green infrastructure on their sites. The program also incentivizes real estate developers to integrate more green infrastructure into their projects than code requires. Programs like this have enabled MMSD to accelerate adoption of green infrastructure across its service area, hitting a key milestone in 2023 of 100 million gallons of stormwater managed.
Center underserved communities in determining the solutions.
Decades of disinvestment and policy barriers in Chicago's communities of color have led to deteriorating infrastructure, environmental challenges and a lack of government services. It’s time to change the narrative of how public investments are made and who is at the table to shape policy decisions. All eyes should be on the RainReady Calumet Corridor Plan. Completed for six south suburban communities and funded by Cook County with an initial $6 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding, projects were prioritized by resident-led steering committees, whose recommendations reflected their collective wisdom and hopes for the future of their communities. The results span from a residential retrofit program that will equip homes with overhead sewer lines and rain gardens to an intersection-improvement project that will capture stormwater and improve crossing safety for an adjacent day care, projects that would not have necessarily risen to the top based on technical feasibility alone. By centering community voices in shaping policy and investment, we lay a more inclusive and durable foundation for the future, setting a precedent for how urban infrastructure challenges can be addressed with equity at the forefront.
Nicole Chavas is president and chief operating officer at Greenprint Partners, a green infrastructure consulting and project development firm, where Kristin Ihnchak is also vice president of equitable planning.
