The Morningside Community GSI project is a continuation of the City of Albuquerque’s effort to increase green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) implementation across the city and streamline internal municipal processes. This GSI demonstration project is another retrofit of an existing bump-out in the public right-of-way, located in a residential neighborhood in the McDuffie Twin Parks neighborhood.
While existing curbs simply conveyed stormwater from one street to another across a bed of rock mulch, the updated design will feature a network of water harvesting basins to maximize this opportunity to capture and infiltrate stormwater, grow native plants, reduce localized flooding, increase tree canopy, and enhance neighborhood beautification and community pride.
Morningside project is considered “Community GSI” due to the robust community engagement process to include neighborhood residents in the planning, design, installation and maintenance of the site. The project team collaborated with community leaders and the neighborhood association to host two in-person community workshops.
This first workshop introduced residents to the Morningside project, provided education about the benefits and function of GSI, and connected residents to residential rainwater harvesting resources. The second workshop invited residents to participate in the design process through an interactive activity where community members contributed their design ideas and gained insight into City planning processes.
The neighborhood has committed to supporting long term maintenance of the site, and the project team is coordinating with local leaders to support this effort with maintenance schedules and checklists. The Morningside Community GSI project has created a model for neighborhood engagement that can support a city-wide effort for stormwater harvesting and urban greening. The Morningside Community GSI project was led by SIGNAL in collaboration with the City’s Department of Municipal Development, designed by Aguas Landscape Architecture, and installed by Rio Grande Return. Funding support was provided by City Councilor Tammy Feibelkorn.
