**3. Study area and methods**

#### **3.1. Study area**

metrics to demonstrate the effects that the low-impact development can have upon urban sustainability issues. The metrics include the following: reduction in stormwater volume, increase in stormwater quality, increase in songbird habitat suitability, increase in vegetation biodiversity, reduction in water requirements by woody vegetation, increase in latent soil productivity, increase in vegetation adaptation to climate change, increase in visual quality, improvementinmicroclimatediversity,reductioninlandscapemaintenanceandenergyinputs,

The plan blends green infrastructure, healthy urban environments, neighborhood entertain‐ ment opportunities, and sustainability together addressing fundamental issues. In the development of the project several best management practices (BMPs), tools are presented to improve water quality and the challenges brought by global climate changes. Some of the tools that are employed in the design include green roof, rain tanks and cisterns, permeable pavement, bioretention or rain gardens, dry and wet swale, and constructed wetlands. The project involved students, faculty, and administrators who influenced and directed the final product. The title for this project is "Vault of Heaven," an ancient Hebrew term for the sky,

Concepts concerning sustainability and ideas addressing low impact development (LID) in planning and design have been in existence since ages [1]. The Greeks employed a concept now termed *Genuis Loci*, where sites were developed with minimum environmental disturb‐ ance and construction [2]. In addition, Roman engineers developed roads at the bottom of hillsides on suitable sandy and gravelly substrate, well above the wetland valleys and below extensive undulating topography, thereby minimizing the need for numerous bridges and extensive site excavation [3]. Burley and Machemer present other examples from history by Chinese and American designers [3]. Wang et al. states "low impact develop is not new, but was not widely known beyond the profession of landscape architecture, natural resource planners, and to some civil engineers ([4], p. 2). However, recently low impact development has been more widely adopted and incorporated into the planning and design of environ‐ ments." They also indicate that the LID in the United States often means the management of stormwater; in the United Kingdom, the term encompasses a broader range of environmental

A variety of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) can be incorporated into the LID projects, such as rain gardens, green roof, bioretention features, and pervious pavements [5]. The current literatures of the LID impact are mostly relative to the qualitative case study [4– 7]. Strauch conducted one of the early studies on statistical comparison of the effects of various treatments; the study compared energy use, wildlife habitat, and stormwater runoff of a site in Montana [8]. A similar study was presented by Wang et al. for a proposed ski resort in Michigan, examining habitat suitability, visual quality, and vegetation diversity [9]. In other words, a variety of variables (visual, wildlife, stormwater, and energy use) can be examined

and walkability.

62 Sustainable Urbanization

where the rainwater lands on the earth.

**2. Pertinent literature**

measures.

The agreement supports establishing a new 4-year medical school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Connecting with a medical school was a critical link for establishing the Grand Rapids as a leading health care and research location City of Grand Rapids [10]. In addition, MSU needed a strategic partner with a research institute and major health-care providers to expand the medical school's teaching and research mission, thereby helping in addressing the State of Michigan's projected physician shortage. The partnership also includes the Spectrum Health and Stain Mary's Health Care.

The Secchia Center opened in the fall of 2010 to serve as the headquarters for the MSU College of Human Medicine (CHM). CHM reached its expansion goal of 800 students and 15 principal investigators with their teams fully occupying the available laboratory space in Grand Rapids in 3 years. As a result, the Board of Trustees authorized planning for a second research facility across the Ionia Avenue. These two facilities, anchoring the intersection of Michigan Street and Ionia Avenue, comprise the MSU Grand Rapids Medical Campus, establishing a gateway to the Central Business District, the Medical Mile, and the North Monroe business district that lies along the Grand River.

The Medical Campus's design addresses urban sustainability in both community- and sitespecific context. From a community perspective, the facilities respect their adjacency to the Grand River and the regional stormwater management plan, strategically infill the urban fabric in accordance with the city's master plan, and facilitate the use of the existing mass transit opportunities including the new bus rapid transit system along the Michigan Avenue. At the site-specific scale, the facilities' design incorporates the best management stormwater features that function as a subset of the regional system and leverages urban regeneration principles through redevelopment of the abandoned Grand Rapids Press building. In its totality, the MSU Grand Rapids Medical Campus provides for the needed programmatic facilities identified by the University's College of Human Medicine and supports the City of Grand Rapids' sustain‐ ability goals at environmental, social, and economic levels.

The Grand Rapids Research Center (GRRC) is located at the intersection of Michigan Street and Monroe Avenue in Grand Rapids, Michigan (**Figure 1**). The site and MSU College of Human Medicine's (CHM's) Secchia Center, interrupted by highway ramp, are woven into

**Figure 1.** An aerial view of the study area in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Grand Rapid's unique urban fabric. MSU CHM Sacchia center is situated in the circle of Grand Rapids Medical Mile, where many public and private health-care facilities cluster. The new research center extends to Monroe Avenue NW and is referred as the gateway to the North Monroe business district.

The study area comprises a 98.5-acre site which includes some of Grand Rapids Medical Mile and partially the North Monroe business district to enhance the linkage between our campus and Grand Rapids downtown areas. The design aims to develop a holistic community that fosters sustainability, economic prosperity, verdant opportunity, walkability, and livability; and reflects a broader investigation of a rather comprehensive perspective, addressing how to adapt and mitigate climate change and other environmental issues.

The city of Grand Rapids is removing the dams, restoring its rapids, and reinforcing the riverfront and water entertainment areas. In addition, the Grand River area is associated with the missions to create a diverse-populated downtown, expand job opportunities, ensure vitality of the local economy, reinvest in public space, culture, and inclusive programming, retain and attract families, talent, and job providers with high-quality public schools. This study includes the above goals and focus on promoting the educational, social, aesthetic, environmental, and economic quality of our campus and its communities. This project also involves college students, advisors, and administrators from different professions. The study team collected the advice and suggestions from different disciplines to address the challenges faced during this project. Therefore, the program for the site included the following:


To achieve these goals, the team collected data and information from various resources:

**◦** Site visit.

Grand Rapid's unique urban fabric. MSU CHM Sacchia center is situated in the circle of Grand Rapids Medical Mile, where many public and private health-care facilities cluster. The new research center extends to Monroe Avenue NW and is referred as the gateway to the North

The study area comprises a 98.5-acre site which includes some of Grand Rapids Medical Mile and partially the North Monroe business district to enhance the linkage between our campus and Grand Rapids downtown areas. The design aims to develop a holistic community that fosters sustainability, economic prosperity, verdant opportunity, walkability, and livability; and reflects a broader investigation of a rather comprehensive perspective, addressing how to

The city of Grand Rapids is removing the dams, restoring its rapids, and reinforcing the riverfront and water entertainment areas. In addition, the Grand River area is associated with the missions to create a diverse-populated downtown, expand job opportunities, ensure vitality of the local economy, reinvest in public space, culture, and inclusive programming, retain and attract families, talent, and job providers with high-quality public schools. This study includes the above goals and focus on promoting the educational, social, aesthetic, environmental, and economic quality of our campus and its communities. This project also involves college students, advisors, and administrators from different professions. The study team collected the advice and suggestions from different disciplines to address the challenges

faced during this project. Therefore, the program for the site included the following:

**•** Grand River, the longest river in Michigan, is bordered by very busy and prewar historic downtown areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recalculates the floodplain for a 100-year 24-h storm event, and it adds 3 feet more to the existing flooding

adapt and mitigate climate change and other environmental issues.

**Figure 1.** An aerial view of the study area in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

**•** The 100-feet elevation change along Michigan Street NE.

Monroe business district.

64 Sustainable Urbanization

walls.


Climate change future scenarios for Grand Rapids summarized in Grand Rapids Climate Resiliency Report.

**◦** Interviewing with transportation engineers at the Michigan State University, the directors of Planning Department and Office of Energy and Sustainability in Grand Rapids, landscape architect work for Grand Rapids Research Center (GRRC) and Green Grand Rapids. During each interview, the team presented design and then obtained the feedbacks from the advisors and administrators.

Phase I is GRRC that intersects Monroe Avenue and Michigan Street, due to its unique gateway position. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality announced a \$1 million grant of disposal of contaminated soil as well as building demolition for MSU (**Figure 2**). Now, MSU is raising \$30M for the research center for university funds and debt.

**Figure 2.** The various phases for site development.

Phase II is Medical Mile along Michigan Street, where the Secchia Center is located. It raised \$50M for development and MDOT is awarding TEDF grant of \$6,171,966 for addressing traffic flow issues along Medical Mile.

Phase III is along the Grand River. Grand Rapids identifies potential \$1.5M funding source together for Grand River dam removal and restoration of rapids from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation [11]. In addition, Grand Rapids seeks \$10 million from state grant to purchase about 4 acres at the riverfront of the Grand River on the west side of Monroe Avenue NW, north of I-196 [11].

Phase IV accommodates many local business stakeholders and is beside the Business routes of U.S. Route 131. The vacant lots and concrete ground-level parking present opportunities for implementing and imbedding green infrastructure within the site. The private ownership might lead the long-term land requirements, while the removal of impervious pavements generates more costs.

#### **3.2. Methods**

Based upon the program for the project, the study began preparing a design for completion on the 18th of December 2015. The competition's critical goal was to improve stormwater management treatments. The team specifically designed a series of LID controls and examined the stormwater quantitate changes by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Stormwater Calculator (SWC). Another specific topic for this competition was climate change. Many urban activities and elements influence climate change: the traffic loads, gasoline oil and grease, land use, and others. This study measured the variables relating to trees, shades, and land-use changes to examine the impacts brought by different designs. The methods include the before-and-after area changes and the Simplified Landscape Irrigation Demand Estimation (SLIDE) to calculate the tree water consumption.

From this design, the study team would also investigate the metrics to compare the design treatments. The experimental design includes the comparison of the existing site, a traditional design, and a low-impact design across the variables of interest and analyzed through Friedman's Analysis for Variance and Friedman's Multiple Comparison statistical measures to predict the overall differences in the treatments [12]. In addition, the chapter presents previously unreported soil productivity equation research to construct urban soils, employing principal component analysis and regression analysis to assess the suitability of various proposed soil profiles in the urban environment.
