The Art of Sustainable Stormwater: Designing Blue-Green Cities

“This is a timely and inspiring call to treat stormwater not as waste, but as a generative force. With clarity and vision, Rottle shows how hydrological function and artistic form can come together to shape resilient, beautiful, and just urban landscapes.” Kongjian Yu, Professor and Dean, Peking University College of Architecture and Landscape; President, Turenscape “The Art of Sustainable Stormwater: Designing Blue-Green Cities is a landmark work by a highly respected academic—an essential read for landscape architecture professionals, students, and urban policymakers for years to come. With strategic insight, clear definitions, and engaging explanations supported by beautiful illustrations representing real-world case studies from around the globe, this book serves as a vital guide to transforming stormwater into a valuable resource for both people and nature.” Dr. Maria Ignatieva, Professor of Landscape Architecture, UWA School of Design, Perth, Australia; President of International Network, Urban Biodiversity and Design (URBIO); 2024 IFLA President’s Award Winner “Nancy Rottle, FASLA, is a pioneer in sustainable landscape architecture. Her decades of knowledge and experience as a landscape architect come together in the Art of Sustainable Stormwater. Case studies, definitions, chapter questions, frameworks, and ten principles about the art of sustainable stormwater are demonstrated through her insights on outstanding projects from around the world. This book is a primer for those looking for a comprehensive resource to teach or learn from.” Bruce Dvorak, PLA, FASLA, Professor, Texas A&M University “Nancy Rottle beautifully illustrates the essentials of sustainable stormwater management—melding design, engineering, aesthetics, and regulation—through over 200 global project images. Organized by project typologies and scales, the book is a timely resource for addressing stormwater management in built and natural systems. Rottle also includes tools and exercises in each chapter to operationalize the content. This book benefits academics, students, and practitioners in landscape architecture, planning, and urban design.” Bo Yang, FASLA, Professor, The University of Arizona, USA “Stormwater is one of ‘the’ essential design components needing urgent addressing when designing cities and their context. The Art of Sustainable Stormwater: Designing Blue-Green Cities is a detailed introduction to stormwater design at all landscape and architectural scales. It is an essential must-have comprehensive international up-to-date resource of research, planning and design guidance on storm water management with an extensive collection of valuable case studies. This book is the current resource on stormwater design in cities, but is also a valuable academic and professional go-to guide to teach and address stormwater issues in general.” Daniel Roehr, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Director, greenskinslab, The University of British Columbia, Canada “This textbook should become part of the foundation for teaching landscape architecture in this century. It addresses WHY we must account for stormwater functions as we live with climate change and HOW to think about urban design for stormwater benefits. It offers clear and accessible explanations for urban stormwater functions, and it is rich in highly illustrated case studies." Joan Nassauer, FASLA, FCELA, Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Michigan “This book, informative across scales and ripe with real world examples, shows this medium is a well of inspiration to be tapped now and deep into the future.” Jake Woland, Director of Design: Landscape Architecture, HEWITT “The Art of Sustainable Stormwater is far more than a monograph or manifesto on multifunctional stormwater controls. It is an epic, encyclopedic work that begins with a basic primer on stormwater principles and practices and goes on to illustrates hundreds of exemplary projects worldwide that range from small sites to regions. Students, and interested citizens promoting similar practices in their city, should have this book as a basic reference.” William E. Wenk, FASLA, Founding Principal, Wenk Associates, Inc. “The Art of Sustainable Stormwater is essential reading for anyone working in landscape and urban design aiming to integrate nature into their work. The partnering of stormwater design concepts with policy and practical tools for delivery provides insights into how water can be more sustainably planned into our cities. Rottle draws on global examples to illustrate the innovation that underpins water sensitive design and the solutions this offers to complex urban problems.” Ian Mell, Professor in Environmental & Landscape Planning, University of Manchester, UK “Packed with practical insights, inspiring cases, and generous illustrations, The Art of Sustainable Stormwater is an excellent resource for students, educators, and practitioners. It approaches stormwater design, not just as a landscape feature, but more as an integral part of sustainable and playful urban systems at multiple scales." Jeff Hou, PhD, FASLA, Provost’s Chair Professor & Head of the Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore “This is a truly lovely text that is long overdue for design educators and professionals. It is filled with inspiring ideas, clear explanations and fantastic case studies. It is both a pleasure to read and packed with useful information and examples. It should be in every design office that aspires to create functional stormwater designs that will be loved by the public and municipal officials alike." Stuart Echols, PhD, PE, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Penn State University "Nancy Rottle has lent her articulate voice to the cause, and potential, for a beautiful, engaging and sustainable approacah to stormwater management. As a complement to the book's robust discussion of stormwater hydrology, Rottle's diverse international experience provides an unprecedented and inspiring portfolio of built projects from Europe, Asia and North America." Jack Ahern, PhD, FASLA, Emeritus Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Massachusetts Amherst “The Art of Sustainable Stormwater makes accessible the art and science of Green Infrastructure with ample examples of the state of the practice globally. The design principles are based on sound science and distill decades of practice and thought leadership. A great resource for anyone interested in advancing the implementation of beautiful and multi-functional Green Infrastructure.” Chris Webb, PE, P.Eng., Principal Engineer and Director of Design, Herrera Environmental Consultants