The Bigger Picture

In today's age of increasing urban development, finding new ways to help minimize the impact on the environment is key to our future. And Low Impact Development (LID) is an innovative stormwater management approach that works with nature to effectively manage rainfall at the source — creating a Greener solution in building.

LID's goal is to mimic a site's pre-development hydrology by using advanced design techniques that infiltrate, filter, store, evaporate and detain runoff as close to its source as possible. Based on the premise that stormwater management should not be seen as stormwater removal, LID works to create functional and appealing site drainage that treats stormwater as a resource rather than a waste product. Employing principles such as preserving and recreating natural landscapes, reducing runoff volume by infiltrating rainwater into the ground, minimizing effective imperviousness, and finding beneficial ways to re-use water. And permeable paving is a significant part of this sustainable practice.

By implementing LID principles and practices, we can manage water more effectively — and in a way that reduces the impact of built areas and promotes the natural movement of water within an ecosystem or watershed. When applied on a broad scale, LID can maintain, or even restore, a watershed's hydrologic and ecological functions — helping to control pollutants now and revitalize the planet for tomorrow.

WHY LID?

LID is an advanced, ecologically-based land development technology that seeks to better integrate the built environment with the natural environment. And it is a more environmentally sound technology and a more economically sustainable approach to addressing the adverse impacts of urbanization. Through intelligent site design, LID can enhance the local environment, protect public health, and improve community livability — all while saving developers and local governments money. And permeable pavement helps to create a hydrologically functional landscape that generates less surface runoff, less pollution, less erosion, and less overall damage to lakes, streams, and coastal waters. It also costs less than conventional stormwater management systems and also allows for greater land-use. All while offering human "quality of life" opportunities by contributing to livability, value, sense of place, and aesthetics in neighborhoods.

HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER

Instead of conveying and managing stormwater in large, costly end-of-pipe facilities located at the bottom of drainage areas, LID addresses stormwater through small, cost-effective landscape features located at the lot level. These landscape features, known as Integrated Management Practices (IMPs), are the building blocks of LID. Almost all components of the urban environment have the potential to serve as an IMP. This includes not only open space, but also rooftops, streetscapes, parking lots, sidewalks, and medians. And in order to create a development site that adheres to the basic LID principles, many different practices can be used together — including bioretention facilities, rain gardens, vegetated rooftops, and rain barrels, as well as permeable pavements. Overall, LID is an extremely versatile approach to managing stormwater runoff that can be used anywhere — and can be applied equally well to new development, urban retrofits, and redevelopment / revitalization projects.

LID AND LEED

LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a national "Green" building assessment system developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to encourage and accelerate global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices. By defining green building through a common standard of measurement, LEED promotes integrated, whole-building design practices and helps raise awareness of green building benefits. LEED evaluates and rates the environmental performance of new and existing commercial, retail, institutional, educational and high-rise residential buildings over a project's life cycle. Developments incorporating LID practices, including permeable pavements, earn points toward this rating system and support the principles of a "Green Infrastructure" through the EPA. The higher the rating, the greater the impact on our ecology and future as whole.

To learn more about using permeable pavements in LID systems, see our Resources page.

Click here to download a detailed summary of USBGC LEED certification credits.