Green Infrastructure for Historic Districts
Cari Varner, PE, Program Manager, Finger Lakes Institute
ABSTRACT
Impervious cover, from roads, buildings, parking lots etc. increases run-off from rain and snow events.
This run-off collects pollutants and contaminants as it runs across impervious cover, and eventually this
water is channeled to traditional grey infrastructure such as sewers, and is often deposited untreated into
local water bodies, such as the Finger Lakes. Green infrastructure provides opportunities to reuse that
water, filter it and re-charge the groundwater aquifer, protecting the natural environment. Historically,
green infrastructure was actually quite common, as rainwater was used to water gardens and crops,
sidewalks and other surfaces were made of permeable materials such as pebbles. There is an
opportunity within Historic Districts to incorporate these techniques, which would improve the historic
integrity and character of the area, and mitigate the impact of stormwater run-off on local waterbodies and
recharge groundwater. This presentation will explore historic instances of green infrastructure in the
Finger Lakes region, and their potential for current application. The considerations related to aesthetics,
soil type, ground cover and existing infrastructure that were evaluated in selecting the most appropriate
green infrastructure technique for each area will be discussed, as well as best practices for
implementation and maintenance. Sustainability in historic preservation is a growing area of interest
among scholars and practitioners from both fields, and this research contributes to the ways the goals of
each discipline can be accomplished.
BIOGRAPHY
Cari Varner is currently the Project Manager of the Finger Lakes Institute - Community Design Center
and the Sustainable Community Development Program at Hobart & William Smith Colleges. The FLI-CDC
is a community design center that strives to provide Finger Lakes communities with innovative, creative,
and sustainable design solutions that improve the built environment and quality of life, while protecting the
natural environment. In 2009, she was selected by the Design Futures Council as an Emerging Leader in
Sustainable Design.