Go Green! Go Lansing! and Ultra-Urban Bioretention

The City of Lansing has designed and constructed a streetscape along four blocks of Michigan Avenue, a downtown street leading to Michigan's Capitol, that includes bioretention to 1) beautify the corridor, 2) treat the "first flush" of street and sidewalk runoff, 3) educate the public, and 4) provide a pedestrian-friendly environment. Design elements include placement of the bioretention cells, an analysis of the hydraulics, a retaining wall and footing design, an engineered soil specification, and plant and tree selection. The streetscape was designed in 2006 and constructed in 2007. The cost to construct the bioretention cell elements was approximately $1,000,000.