Facilitators and Barriers of Applying Low Impact Development Practices in Urban Development

To support sustainable long-term developments and minimize urban sprawl, Low Impact Development (LID) practices have been highlighted for a long time. They are useful, but understanding on LID practices and broadening the LID applications among practitioners is another important task. The main purpose of this study is to understand local professionals’ perceptions on different LID techniques and awareness on their benefits, while also gathering opinions on barriers and incentives. An online survey was delivered to 91 recipients, a diverse pool of stakeholders involved in the Energy Corridor District (ECD) area in Houston, Texas. The majority of the respondents answered that they were familiar with LID. The techniques that have been applied to a larger extent are Detention Ponds and Bioswales. When asked about applying techniques in the future, Retention Ponds, Rain Gardens, Bioswales, and Detention Ponds are highly probable items. Decision-makers identified the major barriers as being the lack of incentives for their application, lack of knowledge of the client, and lack of knowledge of the development team. Education programs would be the most successful incentive, followed by financial incentives and innovations in policy systems. Urban planners have the most expertise in LID practices, followed by architects/landscape architects, while developers were found not to be very familiar with the concepts. This study understands the current and practical opinions about LID from the decision-makers. Different groups understand the importance of education and identified a major barrier as the lack of policy instruments. Some innovation in regulations may elevate proper LID practices.