Tag: Policy

As Philadelphia's stormwater management costs increase, it has become more important to the City to receive payment for providing stormwater service. Historically, the charge for municipal stormwater service has been based on the volume of drinking water being used by a property, which is often not representative of true stormwater costs and results in losses for the City.

Transparency policies and public reporting are considered essential for responsive and participatory governing structures. In response to a growing demand from citizens, governments have employed a number of strategies to expand transparency policies and reporting structures. Some of these efforts include partnering with other communities or nations on a public commitment, collaborating with industry that is on the leading edge of developing digital infrastructure and data management systems, to simply making government information more accessible through regularly updated public platforms.

"SEPTAinable: The Route to Regional Sustainability" is the sustainability plan for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), which provides public transit for five Pennsylvania counties, including Philadelphia. SEPTA developed this plan with the goal of streamlining resources and maximizing investments in order to enable its transit system, the sixth largest in the nation, to provide a foundation for regional sustainability improvements.

Communities across the country are realizing the green potential of their streets. Streets and sidewalks can be the largest single category of public impervious cover in urbanized areas. To mitigate the impact of this impervious area, a number of communities, including Portland, Seattle, Chicago, and Philadelphia, have developed green street and alley programs to provide green stormwater management, while maintaining the primary function of the street for vehicles and pedestrians.

In Mayor Michael Nutter's January 2008 inaugural address, he pledged to make Philadelphia the number one green city in America. To make good on his pledge, he created the Mayor's Office of Sustainability early in his first term as mayor. The Mayor's Office of Sustainability spent a year researching municipal sustainability, talking with residents, and drafting Greenworks Philadelphia, the City's comprehensive sustainability plan. Greenworks was released in 2009 and is in its fourth year of implementation.