Why green infrastructure is ideal for climate adaptation

This article has identified several best practices communities can focus on when incorporating green infrastructure into future plans, policies and infrastructure investments. Green infrastructure's characteristics make it an ideal choice for investments in climate change adaptation, providing a broad array of benefits while increasing community resilience.

The article argues that to build truly resilient and climate-adapted communities using green infrastructure, local government staff need to be able to create a supportive policy environment for green infrastructure. Getting there means:

• making sure staff have a thorough understanding of green infrastructure types, applications, costs, and benefits;
• providing best practices, policy success stories, case studies, and project examples; and
• convening the wide array of multidisciplinary professionals whose practice green infrastructure cuts across.

The author concludes by underlining that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recovery plans should include green infrastructure investments to help address the next great crisis - climate change.