Featured project: Temple–Villanova Sustainable Stormwater Initiative
Visit T-VSSI web site >>
CSC is sponsoring a Rain Cistern Installation at the Ambler Campus Greenhouse on Thursday, October 6 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Stormwater management specialist, Complete Aquatics, will install a SustainRain underground rain harvest system for the Ambler Arboretum's Greenhouse. The 12,000 gallons of rainwater captured each year will be used to irrigate the greenhouse plants throughout the winter months. Students, staff, and faculty are invited to attend a free workshop to view the installation, sponsored by Complete Aquatics and the Center for Sustainable Communities.
Information and RSVP: gchapman@temple.edu
CSC Receives Funding from Community Development Block Grant Program/HUD
The Tannery Run and Honey Run Stormwater Improvement Project, on which Dr. Jeff Featherstone is PI, has received funding from the Community Development Block Grant Program/HUD. This project will involve the study of the Tannery Run and the Honey Run watersheds to evaluate the two streams and watershed areas, conduct hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, map floodplain areas, evaluate storm water management opportunities, and identify solutions, including storm water best management practices (BMPs).
CSC Develops Comprehensive Study of Wissahickon Creek Watershed
The Center has undertaken a $1.2 million, 30-month study to assess, model, and map flooding problems in the Wissahickon Creek Watershed in Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
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Pennypack 167 Plan Report
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Research Grant from PA DEP
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced the recipients of their Coastal Resources Management Program Grants. Among them is Mahbubur Meenar (GIS Assistant Director of the Center for Sustainable Communities)
for his project entitled, Impact Assessment of Land Use Development Patterns in the Pennypack Creek Watershed. The $50k grant money will be used to simulate land use development patterns of Pennypack Watershed, and to include the comparison of existing and alternate projected scenarios that will help inform local decision makers.
Swarthmore Area Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Action Plan Project
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Bucks County Multi-Municipal GHG Emissions Inventory and Climate Action Plan
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Food Insecurity and Spatial Inequality in Lower Income Neighborhoods: Analyzing the Role of Community Gardens
As a member of Pennsylvania Green Growth Partnership, the Center for Sustainable Communities at Temple University has recently received a $40k research grant from the PA DCED (Department of Community and Economic Development). The study will analyze the contribution of non-profit organizations and grassroots community gardens in providing fresh food access and alleviating food insecurity and hunger in many neighborhoods of Philadelphia. In particular, the role and influence of community engagement in reducing spatial inequality in these neighborhoods through various urban agriculture programs will be analyzed. As part of the study, the Center will contact a number of non-profit organizations that are involved in urban agriculture practices for a survey. Important findings from these survey interviews, along with a GIS-based spatial analysis, will be presented in a report. Mahbubur Meenar, assistant director of the Center for Sustainable Communities, is serving as the principal investigator.
Federal Emergency Management Agency to release new Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Pennypack and Sandy Run Watershed
On Tuesday, October 19, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will formally present updated Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM) and a new Flood Insurance Study to municipal officials within the Pennypack and Sandy Run watersheds. The meetings will be held at 3 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. in the Learning Center Auditorium at Temple University Ambler. Read more >>
Sustainable 19125 Performance Measure Study
In summer 2010, the Center completed a Sustainable 19125 Performance Measures study for Philadelphia’s New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) Sustainable 19125 program. The study measured environmental and social outcomes. Indicators included CFL, rain barrels, recycling bin, tree planting, weatherization, green pledge, community engagement, and more. Using GIS analysis, the outcomes were reported on an aggregate level and on a block level to facilitate comparisons between blocks with and without Green Block Captains. This $20k project was funded by NKCDC through a grant from William Penn Foundation. Dr. Lynn Mandarano, assistant professor of Community and Regional Planning, served as the principal investigator. Study team also included Dr. Bradley Flamm, assistant professor of Community and Regional Planning, and Mahbubur Meenar, assistant director of Center for Sustainable Communities.
What is Sustainability?
 By Dr.
Jeffrey Featherstone
Professor, Department of Community and Regional Planning
While scholars have debated the nature of sustainability and have
outlined numerous, sometimes ponderous definitions of it, we can
simply accept its basic tenets. In short, sustainability means
protecting and managing our natural resources so they are available
for future generations. It also means that in promoting
sustainability we must give careful and thoughtful consideration to
the environmental, economic, and social aspects of alternative
courses of action so advances in one area do not come at the expense
of the others. Read more >>
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