Sussex County's 'green infrastructure' focus of study
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1:40 p.m., July 20, 2009----As a plant science major at the University of Delaware, Marcie Smith is accustomed to studying plant cells under a microscope. But this summer, she's taking a macro view of plant life, as she works to develop an issues book about “green infrastructure” in Sussex County.

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“I'm used to studying how things work biologically, and this is very different. I'm learning as I go,” says Smith, who is interning with the University's Coastal Community Enhancement Initiative (CCEI) program.

The CCEI program was formed by a coalition of UD experts to work with Sussex residents on public issues and plan for the future. Smith's internship supervisor is Bill McGowan, a Cooperative Extension agent who focuses on community development.

Sussex County has seen significant growth in the last several decades, but remains largely rural, says McGowan. However, the current comprehensive land-use plan allows up to 854,000 more housing units. That's seven times more than exists today.

Although all those houses and townhouses and condos will not be built for a long time, what happens to the natural environment? Will there be any green spaces left? Will there be clean water and clean soil?

That's what green infrastructure is about, explains Smith. Green infrastructure takes into consideration the natural environment when making decisions about land-use planning. It can mean setting aside part of a subdivision for a park, developing green corridors that link open space, using pervious concrete to reduce run-off, and rehabilitating wetlands.

“I've been interviewing town managers, representatives from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Nature Conservancy, and soon will be talking to farmers and developers,” says Smith. “The point is to get a lot of different viewpoints on the benefits, costs and consequences of decisions about green infrastructure.”

Smith has pushed herself out of her usual comfort zone, in front of a microscope, and in the process is exploring new interests. “I recently added a minor in political science and I also have a minor in landscape horticulture,” says Smith. “This internship is a good trial run to see if I want to work in policy or public outreach instead of a laboratory.”

And Smith isn't going it alone as she works to develop the green infrastructure issues book. There are two other interns working on the project; Bo Pratt, a student at Wesleyan College in Middletown, Conn., who is from Lewes, and Dana Young, a Seaford resident who attends Mt. Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md.

“As a kid I would come down to the beach with my parents and over the years the landscape really changed on Route 1,” says Smith, who was born and raised in Newark. “There is change taking place all over Sussex and I want to help the residents develop a plan for what they value about the county.”

The green infrastructure issues book will be unveiled at a public forum later this fall. For more information about the issues book or the CCEI program, contact McGowan at [billmcg@udel.edu].

Article by Margo McDonough

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