Faced with the decline of urban trees, concerned group formed an initiative to enhance urban tree that help reduce the impact from urban heat, heavy rainfall, and local flooding. Partnering with expert from U.S. Forest Service, the group assessed vulnerability of over 150 tree species in the region and implemented a project to protect native trees from pests and climate change.

A partnership between the California Coastal Commission and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is working to improve understanding of transportation critical infrastructure vulnerabilities to sea level rise and to adapt the transportation system for greater resilience to those changing conditions over the next century. 

Galloway Creek, a tributary to the impaired Clinton River in Michigan, provides cold-water base flows that support trout species. Development led to a straightened, degraded, and disconnected creek that runs through a golf course. This project restored floodplain connectivity, improved geomorphic stability, and built in-stream habitat for fish species and aquatic wildlife. 

The City of Gary initiated the “Vacant to Vibrant” project in 2014, which aimed to mitigate flooding due to aging sewer system. The project completed the construction of three sites in the Aetna neighborhood by 2016, converting 0.37 acres of vacant land into green infrastructure featuring bat houses, rain gardens, and native plantings.

As temperatures and pests change, urban ecosystems will need to adjust and will become ever more important for public health and quality of life. In 2012, the City of Goshen completed an urban tree canopy inventory and assessment in order to understand what trees are in the community and how they will be impacted by environmental changes.

Tuscon, Arizona faced stormwater management problems, with increased flooding and runoff, and degraded water quality. To address these issues and improve the urban tree canopy and recycle rainwater for irrigation, the city developed the Green Streets Active Practice Guidelines. This program requires integrating green infrastructure into all publicly funded roadway projects. 

As Milwaukee’s population grew, it faced increased stormwater flooding and sewer system overflows. In 2001, the Conservation Fund and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) launched a flood management program called Greenseams. The program protects wetlands and other lands containing water-absorbing soils by purchasing land and conservation easements from willing landowners. 

Central Meriden, Connecticut, is continuously devastated by flooding due to urbanization and loss of wetland habitats. The city led a daylighting project to re-naturalized the river that had been covered by industrialization. Businesses in the Hub were relocated and 1700 linear feet of concrete culverts over 30 feet wide were demolished, excavated, and removed.

Alachua County, Florida is facing increasing climate threats from flooding, storms, and droughts. The county government has worked to implement green infrastructure projects and policies to increase Alachua County’s resilience. The county has involved developers, landscapers, and community members to implement green stormwater projects on both public and private lands.  

Historical military-base landscape in Kansas introduced non-native ornamental shrubs and flowers that provide limited benefits to native pollinators and protection against flooding. In response to this, the USFWS partnered with McConnell Air Force Base (AFB) to plant native species and construct a nature-based stormwater management system.

Clear Lake City, Texas is located south of Houston and experiences frequent flooding from hurricanes and urban runoff. After conducting an impact study on how to reduce flooding, the Clear Lake City Water Authority (CLCWA) worked to purchase a 200-acre golf course to transform it into a park and stormwater retention area. 

Built very close to sea level, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston implemented innovative strategies to keep critical infrastructure and patient care above future flood levels. The hospital incorporated extensive green roofs as part of its feature to reduce stormwater runoff during heavy precipitation.

The United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) partnered with the USFWS and the Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) to restore over 550 acres of riparian habitat of the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico and West Texas, and acquire water rights for irrigation. 

Johnson Creek in Portland Oregon faces frequent nuisance flooding events due to urbanization and development-caused degradation. The city of Portland began purchasing vulnerable properties and moving people out of the floodplain, in order to begin reconnecting Johnson Creek to its floodplain and restoring wetland habitat. 

The Kissimmee River Restoration project aimed to restore over 40 square miles of river/floodplain ecosystem in Central and South Florida after two major hurricanes in the late 1940s caused mass flooding and property damage throughout the upper basin. The project encompassed two primary components: backfilling the C-38 canal and changing water level management practices.

Cincinnati is one of the nation’s top five combined sewer overflow (CSO) dischargers, causing severely polluted waterways and building damage. The Lick Run Watershed hosts the Cincinnati-area's largest combined sewer and was a priority for improved stormwater management. The Lick Run Watershed Strategic Integration Plan aims to eliminate 400 million gallons of combined sewer overflow annually.  

The Lower Boulder Creek Floodplain was degraded by gravel mining. This creek’s natural stream geomorphology was restored by adding riffles, pools, and large woody debris. The creek was reconnected to its historic floodplain, creating vegetated seasonal wetlands, improving water quality, and reducing flash flood risk. 

A 1960s-era levee on the Dungeness River resulted in a straighter channel, increased water velocities, reduced habitat, and a decline in the effectiveness of the levee. This project removed part of the old levee, built a setback levee, and relocated a road bisecting the floodplain. 

The Lower Elkhorn Basin Levee Setback (LEBLS) Project is working to increase flood resiliency and ecosystem benefits in California’s central valley. For this project, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) constructed a 11,500-meter setback levee to expand the Sacramento and Yolo bypasses by about 450 meters. 

Toledo, Ohio has experienced increased stormwater flooding and sewage system overflows, causing water quality issues and flood hazards. The city created the the Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Task Force to address these issues. One of GSI’s projects on Maywood Avenue used green infrastructure to improve water quality and reduce runoff.