Targeted Outreach for Green Infrastructure (TOGI) in Vulnerable Communities

Description

Many communities are adopting green infrastructure as a strategy to manage stormwater, improve water quality, add habitat and provide community benefits such as open space, pedestrian safety, shade and beautification. The Chesapeake Bay Program Habitat Goal Implementation Team (GIT) launched a pilot project, Targeted Outreach for Green Infrastructure in Vulnerable Areas (TOGI), to support Chesapeake Bay watershed communities in designing green infrastructure projects that meet community, watershed and habitat conservation goals. Funded by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Skeo Solutions was selected as the contractor to support the GIT and provide facilitation and green infrastructure planning services. The project was designed to equip local decision-makers in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania to identify green infrastructure options that provide co-benefits to underserved and underrepresented communities. Skeo facilitated a series of custom listening sessions and workshops with local stakeholders in Cambridge, MD, Williamsport, PA, and the Upper Mattaponi Tribe and Mattaponi Indian Tribe in Virginia to identify projects and refine concept plans. While the process was not intended to support broad community engagement, the stakeholder-identified project outcomes will provide a springboard for a full community planning process and grant applications for implementation.

For more information, read the press release, "Creating green infrastructure with and for vulnerable communities" (01/19/2023).