In many communities throughout Illinois, more urbanization and larger storms have led to more flooding. Green infrastructure, such as rain gardens and permeable pavement, can reduce flooding but doesn’t always work as well as it might. However, green infrastructure design informed by multidisciplinary research on native soil properties and water movement, among other factors, can maximize green infrastructure impact and cost-effectiveness, and integrating research results across disciplines and into extension efforts can benefit Illinois communities.
From 2021-23, University of Illinois Extension and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant developed a website, Illinois Groundwork, which is based on multidisciplinary green infrastructure research and an extension process piloted in two Chicago suburbs. The team developed content, including writing text and curating university resources; worked with a professional developer to design and create the website; and collaborated with statewide green infrastructure stakeholders and target audiences to incorporate their technical reviews throughout the process.
The goal of Illinois Groundwork is to help complement and deepen existing community knowledge with better design capacity and soil knowledge to support local decision-making. This goal is achieved by providing green infrastructure research, tools, and resources to stormwater professionals, local leaders, and community members to increase the effective use of green infrastructure to address stormwater management challenges.
The website outlines a process that users can follow to incorporate soil data into green infrastructure design along with insights into helpful or necessary expertise, specific tasks, and additional resources. It also includes an interactive resource to help optimize green infrastructure sizing and a Plant Finder, which covers 119 plants, with information on soil type, light, and moisture needs for each, as well as photos and descriptions.
Explore the website at illinoisgroundwork.org.
Partners of this project include the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Village of Midlothian, City of Calumet City, Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Council, Illinois Coastal Management Program, Calumet Collaborative, Geosyntec Consultants, Smithgroup, The Openlands Project, and Friends of the Chicago River.
