This project documents, through a series of case studies, the advantages of Low Impact Development (LID) in the economic terms of how municipal land use decisions are commonly made.

In addition to the environmental and water quality benefits for which Low Impact Development (LID) is so commonly known, considerable economic, infrastructure, and adaptation planning benefits are also being realized through the incorporation of LID-based strategies. Forging the Link demonstrates the substantive economic benefits—for both construction budgets and project life-cycle costs—that are increasingly being observed by municipalities, commercial developers, and others when using Green Infrastructure for stormwater management. The FTL curriculum demonstrates the use of LID as a means for building community resiliency to changing climates in a water resources management context.

The FTL Curriculum demonstrates:

1. The ecological benefits of LID with respect to protection of water quality, aquatic habitat and watershed health
2. The economic benefits of using both traditional and innovative infrastructure to manage stormwater
3. The capability of LID to be used as a climate change adaptation planning tool to minimize the stress to urban stormwater infrastructure.

Link to Project Website