CO-DESIGN
How to Collaborate with Stakeholders and Experts for Compounding Benefits of a Healthy Community Forest
Co-Design is all about collaborating with stakeholders and experts to develop successful on-the-ground projects and programs. Open dialogue about design for lasting systems that are maintained and enhanced ensures the most benefit to the community.
Considerations about Co-Design
The more interdisciplinary and cross-departmental involvement in planning, implementation, and management of projects, the greater the success.
Encourage co-design for stacked benefits and innovative systems thinking that address issues and achieve an overall positive solution.
- Involve community stakeholders early and often for better buy-in, support, and stewardship.
- Include an urban forestry expert on the team to provide integral knowledge about trees and forest function, species performance, and maintenance needs.
Resource Links by Topic
Stormwater
Urban Forestry
Integrated Agenda
- Human Health Benefits Provided by Co-Design of GSI – A Nature Conservancy report providing a new perspective that merges recent innovations: nature for water management and nature for human health.
- Urban Forest Systems and Green Stormwater Infrastructure – A USDA Forest Service report summarizing the stormwater benefits of urban trees and crediting trees in stormwater programs with case studies.Â
- Regional Planning-Stormwater Parks – Puget Sound Regional Council’s program to help catalyze the development of new stormwater parks.
- 2021 Green Stormwater Infrastructure Summit session recordings:
- Building Climate Resilience (Planning for Stormwater Parks)
- Science and Pragmatism (Embracing Co-Design in Stormwater Planning)
- Northern Watersheds (Integrated Water Management)
- Renton’s Stormwater Green Connection Project – Innovative project featured during the Puget Sound Urban Tree Canopy and Stormwater Management Handbook Tour in spring 2022.Â
- WA DOE: Silva Cells Function as Bioretention Facilities – An article featuring the Washington State (DOE) recognition of Silva Cells for stormwater runoff filtration and local demonstration projects.Â
- Human Health Co-Benefits of Green Stormwater Infrastructure – A paper proposing that providing landscape improvements and boosting residential greenness is a co-design for co-benefits opportunity as clean water, healthy habitat, and combined sewer overflow (CSO) mitigation projects are designed and implemented.