(Re)SEARCHING FOR A SPOT

A Parking Lot Laboratory for Desert Stormwater
Management, Research, and Education

Demonstration Category D7	The University of Arizona

Design Team
Jack Anderson, Master of Science Hydrology
Aaron Johnson, Master of Landscape Architecture
Matthew Lutheran, Master of Landscape Architecture
Samantha Swartz, Master of Science Hydrology
Zhiyuan Song, Master of Landscape Architecture

Faculty Advisors

Dr. Bo Yang, PLA, ASLA, APA Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture
Dr. Margaret Livingston, Professor, Landscape Architecture
Dr. Vanessa Buzzard, Senior Research Specialist, School of Natural Resources and the Environment

Dr. Laura Meredith, Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources and the Environment
Dr. Thomas Meixner, Professor, Associate Department Head, Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences
Dr. Tanya Quist, Associate Professor, Director UA Campus Arboretum

Advising Team

Dr. Alejandro Angel, Vice President/Principal, Psomas Civil Engineering
Eric Bell, Program Coordinator, Physical Access, University of Arizona Disability Resource Center
Grant McCormick, Campus Planner and GIS Coordinator, Adjunct Professor, University of Arizona
Mark Novak, Landscape Architect, University of Arizona
Woody Remencus, Landscape Manager, UA Facilities Management

ABSTRACT

The University of Arizona (U of A) located within the Sonoran Desert, is known for high
temperatures and lack of rainfall. Seasonal rain events are often brief and violent, and the 269 campus
parking lots are prime examples of a lack of planning for stormwater retention and water quality
services. The parking lot south of the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture
(CAPLA) serves six colleges without addressing stormwater management or pedestrian safety. This
single-function parking lot has the potential to improve public safety by improving pedestrian
networks and remediating environmental health using increased water quality, infiltration capacity,
and a holistic approach to stormwater management. The U of A is committed to research and this
project will provide infrastructure to assess stormwater basin performance through the presence
of microbial communities and investigate the capacity of arid-adapted plants as phytoremediators.
(Re)Searching for a Spot will function as a demonstration project, highlighting the collaborative
research and design effort among the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, School of
Natural Resources and the Environment, and Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.
This project will highlight green infrastructure (GI) benefits and performance. The quantitative
performance data of GI- critically lacking in the arid environment currently, will provide evidence
and confidence for future parking lot retrofits on campus and across the surrounding communities.

1


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INTRODUCTION + SITE SELECTION

The University of Arizona (U of A) as a Research I Institution, is located in Tucson, Arizona,
within the Sonoran Desert. The U of A has 130 year legacy of seeking innovative solutions and
it is perhaps the first institution in the nation to include the "built environment" as part of the
University's Strategic Plan (effective 2019). The built environment is an asset to all university
campuses, and by highlighting the health and environmental benefits provided by built
surroundings, the U of A is positioned to become a leader in campus development.

Specifically, U of A is committed to sustainable practices and expects to implement
green stormwater infrastructure to manage runoff in the changing climate. Through integrating
active and passive systems, new construction benefits from rainwater harvesting basins and
underground detention cisterns to reduce peak flows while addressing the presence of the
campus' 100-year flood plain. Interdisciplinary studies 011 the built environment area at the
core of green infrastructure adoption. Hie College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape
Architecture (CAPLA) is positioned as a campus facilitator, providing its students with the skill
set to working with a wide variety of departments and entities on campus to integrate innovative
green infrastructure (GI) into future campus development. Campus parking lot development has
been focusing on creating the highest number of parking stalls, sacrificing its overall performance
in the environment and social aspects of sustainability; particularly educational benefits are least
emphasized.





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INVENTORY + ANALYSIS

Parking lot development has resulted in a total of 269 parking areas (Figure 1) and parking
lot vegetative cover shows that more than 95% of the surface lots contained negligible canopy
cover. The parking lot south of CAPLA was selected as a demonstration project because it (1)
critically lacks vegetative cover, (2) is a highly used, yet unsafe traffic hub for six major colleges
surrounding it, (3) is in close proximity to nearby campus amenities, and (4) is situated in an
upstream location, and contributor, feeding into the 100-year flood plain (Figure 2).

This project will showcase the performance benefits of adopting GI strategies, and how the
U of A can retrofit other parking lots to better serve campus. Expected benefits from a parking

— Flood Plain Boundary
—>¦ 100-yr Flood Drainage

Surface Parking Lois
¦I Project Site

Figure 1 - Context map & watershed

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lot retrofit include: (1) entirely eliminate runoff from the site during 2-year storms, (2) reduce
the parking lot's contribution to the adjacent 100-year floodplain by 22,929 gallons of runoff, (3)
improve water quality through reductions in sediment and pollutant loads, and (4) increase the
Time of Concentration (Tc) of the sub watershed by approximately 600%.

To establish a baseline for GI performance assessment and subsequent research work, the
team collected water quality samples at two drainage points on site and tested for contaminants
commonly associated with vehicles. Results are presented in Table 1 below.

Constituent Concentration (ug/l)

Water Sample (UA project)

Pb

Zn

Cd

Cu

1

0.16

16.88

0.04

6.95

2

0.09

29.16

0.04

4.06

National Standards
(Kadlec and Knight, 1996)

180

200

1.5

50

iable 1 - Water quality samples compared with national standards.

When compared to the national standards on stormwater pollutant levels (Table 1), the
water quality constituent levels sampled on site are lower than typical urban runoff (Kadlec and
Knight, 1996). Nonetheless, these samples show the existing quality of stormwater runoff without
treatment from vegetation or bioswales, which provide a baseline for water quality improvements.

GIS information was combined with on-site observations to understand the current
drainage pattern on site (Figure 3). The site's high point is centrally located and divides the
parking lot into a northern and southern sub-watershed. The grading plan benefits the site
because water can be managed in smaller quantities which provides options for effectively
infiltrating stormwater through the use of smaller, low impact interventions.

The parking lot is shared by CAPLA and five other colleges, but it provides little university
context, or accommodation for pedestrian movement, or stormwater management. Personal

Figure 3 - Drainage Diagram

Current Flooding	100-Yr Storm Event

Water Flow	— M Site Boundary

Hgure 4 - Circulation Diagram

	Vehicle Paths

~ - Pedestrian & Bicycle Paths
A High Traffic Area

Building Entry
Site Boundary

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observations of the site recorded the interactions that occurred between pedestrians and vehicles,
and what routes were necessary for maintaining the necessary functions of access and parking.
(Figure 4) The following diagram shows the dangerous context occurring through the center of
the parking lot along the unofficial pedestrian corridor.

The U of A is a Research I Institution and a new Strategic Plan highlights the role of
research in the built environment to support campus growth. The CAPLA Dean and Strategic
Plan board member stated, "It is clear that a pan-university effort around the built environment
is a differentiator...It is an initiative that will bring a multiplicity of researchers together to
take on the grand challenges of the built environment." This parking lot design will provide an
opportunity to assemble a multidisciplinary team to collaborate on research that benefits the
community as a land grant institution committed to community outreach.

The drainage and circulation analysis revealed opportunities and challenges that currently
exist on site. Project goals were developed to address water quality and management, and
pedestrian safety. These goals seek to improve the impact the U of A has on the environment and
surrounding community as well as the health and well-being of the student body. As a third goal,
the team defined research as an opportunity to reach out to the community and capitalize on the
university's resources to provide quantifiable GI data and its impact on stormwater management
in arid environments.

Goals

Objectives

Relevance

Treat 100% of a 25-
year storm event

break up impervious surfaces
provide areas for infiltration
slow water using weirs and linked basins
increase phytoremediating vegetation

Reduce pollutant loads delivered to
surrounding watersheds and enhance
the quality of 100-year flood plain

Enhance multi-modal
safety and circulation

alert vehicles to pedestrian crossing
provide protected circulation routes
promote universal access
enhance campus way-finding

Increase safety and efficiency of
transportation campus environment

Provide infrastructure

for collaborative
research and education
on campus

re-create real world infrastructure for research
provide areas for self and guided learning
form relationships between colleges

Collect crucial GI data to improve public
health and environmental quality related
to arid environments

Table 2 - Goals and objectives

RESEARCH

To enhance the design concept within the campus environment, the team relied on
research to create defensible design choices. This provided the design with innovative options for
retrofitting a parking lot and allowed the design to appeal to a wider user group. Research was
conducted in psychology, water quality/management, ecohydology, education, and the urban heat
island effect.

Psychology

Improving parking lots on campus will benefit the psychological health of student population, the
population majority on campus. Students are focused on their academic performance and often

4


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experience stress related to their studies. The installation of vegetation on campus provides the
following:

•	Student health and access to green space showed positive relationships between nature exposure and student
performance. Specifically, views with greater quantities of trees and shrubs from windows are positively
associated with standardized test scores, graduation rates, percentages of students planning to attend a four-
year college, and fewer occurrences of criminal behavior (Matsuoka, 2010).

•	Students with higher perceived campus greenness report greater quality of life, a pathway significantly and
partially mediated by perceived campus restorativeness (Hip et al., 2016).

•	Sustainable campus landscape design is valuable for college students and highlights the healing power of
natural space on campus (Lau and Yang, 2009).

Water Quality/Management

Efficiently managing stormwater on campus will improve the campus's environmental impact
and enhance safety by reducing the amount of water released onto streets and sidewalks. The
addressing these factors in the context of the arid desert environment will provide the following.

•	Basin volumes and impervious surfaces were compared to model the amount of runoff that could be captured
on-site. 100% of 2-year storm events can be retained through the use of infiltration basins, weirs, and
bioswales.

•	Tc (Time of Concentration) will increase by 600% by breaking up impervious surfaces and including
vegetative swales and basins to direct water through longer pervious channels that facilitate infiltration.

•	Water quality can be improved by slowing stormwater runoff, allowing heavy metals and suspended solids to
drop out of the flow. (Davis, 2003) Phytoremeditaion plants can also uptake and bind pollutants neutralizing
their presence in the soil (Marquez et al. 2009).

Ecohydrology

Stormwater basins are common in the Tucson Area, and support ecological functions and
stormwater management. Research can be conducted to determine how basins in this
environment could increase performance to benefit ecology stormwater quality and infiltration.

•	Few studies have explored the impact water harvesting techniques have on greenhouse gas emissions and soil
chemistry (Pataki et al. 2011).

•	Studies have shown an increase in soil microbial diversity and richness in bioretention swales when compared
to non-swale areas in the same region (Kazemi, Beecham, and Gibbs 2011)

•	Vegetated bioswale first flush samples show 92% fewer suspended solids, 87% less Total Nitrogen, 92% less
Total Phosphorus, 96% less Zinc and Lead, and 82% less Copper than the samples from the traditional
stormwater system (Yang et. al. 2015).

Education

The U of A seeks to produce innovative research opportunities and synthesize new ideas by
promoting collaborative research from experts in unrelated fields. By approaching problems from
different viewpoints, professors can arrive at results in unexpected ways.	

•	Research of the built environment and collaborative research has been identified in the UA Strategic Plan
(released 2019), and the site interacts with 6 college institutions.

•	Sustained research of stormwater strategies over time can improve and refocus stormwater management plans
through collaboration of different groups (Brown et al. 2013).

•	Surface temperature, hydrology, carbon storage and sequestration, and biodiversity must be quantified to
understand the level of improvement landscapes can provide (Whitford, 2001).

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Urban Heat Island Effect

Figure 5 & 6 illustrate Tucson's vulnerability to extreme temperatures and the negative effects
impervious surfaces like mall parking lots and airplane runways have on the surroundings.

This issue must be addressed to protect the surrounding community Parks and campuses have
substantially lower temperatures, but even parking lots 011 campus retain heat more readily than
green spaces.

® Climate related exposure can be a direct cause of illness or death (Luber, 2008).

® The effects of extreme heat disproportionately affect populations of lower socioeconomic classes (Jenerette,
2011).

• Summer exposed asphalt temperatures reach an average of 148°F in Arizona Parking lots (Celestian and
Martin, 2004).

Tucson Mall

University of
Arizona

El Con Mall

Reid Park

Davis-Monthan Air
Force Base

Hi Temps
Mid Temps
Low Temps

CAP LA Parking
Greek Life Parking
U of A Lawn
Museum Parking

nttpswg!smaps^agn5^D^ro^£lMap7aerault!aspx^^

Figure 6 - LJ of A Heat Map

Hi Temps
Mid Temps
Low Temps
_ _ UA Campus

Selected Interviews

Interviews were conducted across campus, seeking input from experts in numerous backgrounds
to gain input from additional experts with experience on the U of A campus.

Eric Bell, the Program Coordinator of Physical Access at the Disability Resource
Center (DRC) provided feedback on the design proposal, and existing limitations that could
be addressed on site. Hie mission of the DRC seeks to create a "seamlessly accessible" campus
regardless of physical limitation (DRC About Us, 2018) Mr. Bell identified several ramps as non-
compliant ADA accessible and suggested improvements for accessibility of pedestrian corridors.
His knowledge of campus was invaluable because he knew where universally accessible building
entrances were located and what routes would be most convenient for building access.

Dr. Tanya Quist, U of A Arboretum Director, was interviewed regarding the Arboretum's
vision for campus. Director Quist highlighted the campus arboretum's desire to promote
sustainability research through the inclusion of native and arid adapted species appropriate
to desert climates, and expanding the diversity of the collection. Both goals coincide with the
Campus Arboretum. 2021 Strategic Plan and promote sustainable low impact development to
campus.

President Shawn Kelly ASLA President was interviewed regarding his experience in
planting design to improve water quality vising phytoremediation. He stressed the use of plants
that can perform rhizodegradation, and photodegradation, rather than accumulation, performing
services that breakdown or bind pollutants rather than collecting pollutants into plant tissues that
contain concentrated pollutants at toxic levels.

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION

(Re)Searching for a Spot ( Figure 7) provides an innovative solution for an under
performing public space by addressing the needs of a diverse community. Safety, research, and
stormwater management are all paramount for a healthy and successful campus retrofit design.
(Re)Searching for a Spot will incorporate these aspects to benefit the surrounding community,
and will provide green infrastructure research for the future, addressing environmental problems
within the community's built environment in the context of arid climates.

College of Architecture,
Planning, & Landscape
Architecture (CAPLA)

East

r~~ 1 UofAMaterials Lab
-I	digital display signage

Vegetated research swale

-	Cut from existing asphalt

Research basin area

-	8 separate 5'x8' plots

Corten steel bridge

-	allow access across swales

Seating walls

-	poured on site concrete

^ Eating area

-	movable tables and chairs

e

Food truck area
- space for 2 trucks

Motorcycle parking

-	same as existing

Bike racks

-	provided 6 new bike racks

Q Permeable pavement

-	asphalt testing & pavers
© Landmark space

-	public art & educational
signage

Figure 7 - Final Design

0' 25' 50'

100'

Stormwater Management

The current U of A Campus Stormwater Management Plan utilizes street surfaces
to transport water off campus, interfering with vehicle and pedestrian transportation and
prohibiting infiltration on site. Asphalt prevents toxins from being treated by soils and plants near
the site at safer, lower concentrations, and quickly transports vehicular pollutants into ecologically
sensitive watersheds.

To improve water quality leaving the 2.48 AC site, the infiltration capacity was studied
with team members from the Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences. Due to
the urban context of the site the infiltration rate will determine if the site exhibits excessive
compaction or contains caliche, (calcium carbonate deposits common in arid regions). Hie
infiltration rates can be found in Table 3 and locations (Figure 8).

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Average U of A Infiltration Rate mm/min

Site

1

2

3

4

Rate

Table 3 -

0.22
Infiltration R

0.11
ates

0.12

0.32

l-igure 8 - Drainage Plan & Infiltration Test Sites

The site's average infiltration rate is 2 mm per
minute, which shows infiltration readily occurs on the
site. These numbers prove basins and swales in the
design will be able to absorb the 12" of water held by
check dams and weirs within the 12-hour limit defined
by the City of Tucson's stormwater management
code. Soil ripping during construction will continue
to improve the infiltration rates and further reduce
stormwater runoff.

(Re)searching for a Spot uses stormwater infiltration to improve groundwater recharge,
reduce surface flooding, and improve stormwater quality. A network of stormwater basins,
connected by weirs (Figure 9) and check dams allows for the capture of 22,929 gallons of
stormwater (3,065ft3) and associated pollutants on site. Installing check dams and weirs is
important to the design because they hold water within swales and basins, which provides
additional time for water to infiltrate into the soil and recharge groundwater sources. Pooling
water also allows vehicle-deposited contaminants to seep into the soil where they can be
immobilized at low concentrations.

To reduce the site's impact to
the 100-yr flood plain, the Time of
Concentration (Tc) was analyzed and
modified to increase the sheet flow and
shallow concentrated flow distances.

Previously, stormwater took only 22
minutes to travel across an expansive
asphalt surface before draining off

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Figure 9 - Weir Construction Detail

site. To increase the Tc, the team

designed a solution that increased watershed distances while breaking up impervious surface
types (Figure 10). Changing surfaces from asphalt to vegetated basins and rock-lined permeable
swales increased the Tr to 2 hours and 18 minutes. These design interventions also increased the
percentage of perviousness in the watersheds, and allowed suspended solids and pollutants to
drop out of stormwater before joining ecologically sensitive watersheds.

- visual cues & raised crosswalks
slow traffic for pedestrian safety

90 degree parking

Water Flow on Site

Non-vegetated research basins

- with public viewing access & data
collection

Educational signage

- physical & digital

Vegetated research swale

-	check dams & weirs slow water flow

-	plant groupings used to assess
speciesinfiltrationperformance j raff j c ca I m i n g

Retrofit existing vegetation
- incorporate plants identified for
research with existing plants

—>

Figure 10 - Infiltration Section

Infiltration & Percolation to
recharge groundwater

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Adopting green stormwater infrastructure will also improve the quality of life on campus,
reducing flooding within the parking lot and its contributing watersheds, and improving safety
and efficiency of pedestrian and vehicular transportation. These overlaying benefits maximize the
impact of the design. The following assessment on hydrologic performance was conducted with
input from Dr. Thomas Meixner, professor and associate department head of the Department of
Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.

(Re)Searching for a Spot seeks to improve stormwater management within the context of
a functioning parking lot to highlight the opportunities available for green infrastructure retrofits.
Expertise from faculty members and student collaborators came together to provide a cohesive
design to enhance stormwater capacity through bioswales and basins, break up the extensive
impervious surfaces, and provide opportunities to infiltrate pollutants at the source. Storm surge
effects have been reduced by increasing the Tc and lengthening the distance stormwater travels
before exiting the site. These improvements are invaluable in arid-environment contexts where
water is limited, and as urban populations expand, these solutions will become even more critical.

Pedestrian Use

This site was selected due to its central location	jffjr

on campus, and the safety hazards present between
pedestrians and vehicles. Its central location links
student housing, with the arts district and Student
Union, maximizing the parking lot's visibility.

Increased safety measures and defined pathways will
encourage pedestrian use and enhance community
interactions. (Re)Searching for a Spot highlights
pedestrian presence and encourages student use
(Figure 11), by improving on the corridor pedestrians
have identified through the parking lot.

Campus circulation is important for the health
and safety of all campus users, and the U of A is
particularly concerned about the pedestrian campus
experience. The design team reached out to the UA's Disabilty Resource Center (DRC), which
seeks to ensure all users on campus regardless of physical limitation, have the same University
experience. Eric Bell, Program Coordinator of Physical Access provided input on incorporating
universal access into the design. Mr. Bell provided critical feedback on the function and
location of access ramps. His expertise highlighted inaccessible ramps in the area, and the most
convenient ramp locations.

Pedestrian pathways are designed to aid stormwater infiltration, while improving user
experience. Most paths are defined by color, using a combination of permeable pavers and stained
concrete to aid wayfinding while eliminating pooling on walkways (Figure 12). The pathway to
the east uses a daylighted swale to direct users through the site and provide opportunities to sit,
meet classmates and provide bike parking while interacting with green infrastructure. The north
pathway uses several types of permeable pavers, installed in a successive pattern to investigate the
performance and longevity of infiltrating paving products. Finally, the pathway to the south uses
a bar-grate catwalk, leading pedestrian over a swale to a defined crosswalk. Performance audits
are scheduled in the maintenance schedule to track the success or failure of these materials, and

Handicap parking
areas

- near pedestrian corridor

Raised
Crosswalks

Pedestrian Node

%m+

Universal Access

Figure 11 - Pedestrian Circulation

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Weirs slow water & allow
greater for infiltration

Figure 13 Infiltration section

15' multi-modal path

- primary route
to & from site

Plant groupings

Green infrastructure highlighted

- corten steel bridge provides views

I :

- researched for infiltration
performance

Figure 12 Sidewalk drainage detail

Diamond
plate steel

aid in selecting materials appropriate for arid environments. All pathways link to surrounding
sidewalks within the pedestrian plan and provides signage and tactile cues to enhance wayfinding
through the 380-acre campus. Project feasibility including cost estimates were reviewed by Dr.
Alejandro Angel, Vice President and Principal at Psomas engineering company.

Social components are integrated into the design to aid the community and teach users
about the benefits of green infrastructure. Entrances to CAPLA and Engineering are highlighted
as thresholds. These areas provide chances to interact with users and include educational signage
to explain specific GI strategies used. The center area is defined as a landmark, providing a
wayfinding opportunity and meeting location users can easily identify and communicate to new
visitors. To the west, the function of the bioswale is revealed, allowing students to interact with
unlined bioswales and weir systems (Figure 13). The node to the west includes movable seating
and food truck parking to activate the parking lot and engage students to interact with one
another. Educational signage is provided throughout the site and explains on-going research to
the public.

Research Infrastructure

The U of A is a Research I institution, and incorporating collaborative research into the built
environment aligns directly with the university's Strategic Plan. Research infrastructure will be
included within the site design (Figure 14), providing opportunities not limited architecture,
sustainable development, plant sciences, microbial sciences, hydrology, ecology and outreach.
These topics will provide valuable research about GI in arid environments, where information
specific to this climate is not readily available.

Figure14 - Research Infrastructure	Figure15 - Research Infrastructure

Permeable pavement
- testing maintenance
& longevity in an arid
environment

asphalt
- testing maintenance
& longevity in an arid
environment

Concrete pathway
- allows direct views
into research plots and
presentation gatherings

Research Plots

-	8 (5'x8') basins

-	overflow to swale

-	varying basin treatments
(organic, barren soil, & rock
mulch)

Data Loggers
- 2 machines used for data
collection & providing info to
digital display signage

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Figure 16 Sidewalk drainage detail

Figure 17 - Sidewalk drainage detail

ALLOW MINIMUM
OF 7.5" CLEARANCE
BEHIND ENCLO-
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AGGREGATE

One partnership (Figure 15) created for the design with Dr. Laura Meredith from the
School of Natural Resources and the Environment will study microbial presence in basins, and
treatment impact on basin infiltration. The design will provide 8 study basins to repeat study
treatments exposed to parking lot runoff. This experiment will provide educational opportunities
through signage (Figure 16) and tours of the site. Metergroup data loggers will be installed on site
(Figure 17) and connected to electronic signage that will provide real-time data updates to engage
the public and encourage research support.

The design provides infrastructure for studying the effectiveness of phytoremediation
in arid environments (Figure 18).. Current research provides little information related to arid
climates, but this topic is crucial due to the concentration pollutants reach after months without
rain. Vehicles deposit Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn, which collect on parking lot surfaces and concentrate
in riparian areas after rain events. If left untreated, these pollutants can reach toxic levels, and
infrastructure devoted to this study can be used in arid environments experiencing dangerous
pollution levels. Experts in the field of planting d esign were consulted, Shawn Kelly, President
of ASLA, and Margaret Livingston, Professor at CAPLA for input on plants selected for the
design. Based on existing research and gaps in research, they agreed that this experiment would
provide valuable research throughout the site. Each water harvesting basin will become a study
area, with defined planting groupings that will be periodically harvested and tested for pollution
concentrations.

Other provided infrastructure will relate to material longevity and performance.
Permeable paving options have become increasingly popular over the years, but their
performance in this environment has yet to be quantified. Small permeable paving projects
have been installed on campus, but without proper research, the U of A cannot invest in these
new materials. A series of permeable pavers will be installed along with permeable asphalt to

Figure18 Research infrastructure and pedestrian interaction

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determine the maintenance regime required for optimal performance and the longevity of the
product in the hot dry environment of the desert. This information is incredibly important to the
landscaping industry as a whole and this information will determine if permeable materials have
been successfully developed for arid environments.

Existing research for phytoremediation currently focuses on aquatic plant species
capable of filtering toxins. In arid environments, this information is not applicable due to the
limited presence of surface water. This design looked at research completed in nearby western
environments (Yang, 2015). This data allowed the team to extrapolate on plant families, and
use relatives of plant species which have been identified as phytoremediators (Table 4). Basins
throughout the site will become study areas, using repeatable plant combinations to create
phytoremediating test plots to isolate and identify which arid adapted plants are best suited for
environmental remediation. CAPLA faculty, and Shawn Kelly, President of ASLA were consulted
in the concept and selection of plant materials.

Table 4 - Phytoremediating plant palette

Trees

Shrubs

Grasses/Accents

Celtis
reticulata

Netleaf
Hackberry

Asclepias
subulata

Desert
Milkweed

Ericameria
nauseosus

Rabbitbush

Aristida
purpurea

Purple Three-
Awn

Chilopsis
linearis

Desert Willow

Atripiex
canescens

Fourwing
Saltbush

Eriognum
fasciculatum

Flattop
Buckwheat

Hesperaloe
parvifolia

Red Yucca

Dalea spinesa

Smoketree

Gutierrezia
seortina

Late
Snakeweed

Euphorbia
antisyphiliticia

Candellia

Muhlenbergia
porteri

Bush Muhly

Prosopis
velutina

Velvet
Mesquite

Datura wrightii

Sacred Datura

Hymenoclea
salsola

Burrowweed

Muhlenbergia
rigens

Deer Grass

Quercus
Virginian a

Live Oak

Ephedra
nevadensis

Mormon Tea

Kraschenin-
nikovia lantana

Winterfat

Nolina
Macrocarpa

Beargrass





Ericamerica
larcifolia

Turpentine
Bush

Larrea
tridentada

Creosote

Yucca Pallida

Pale-leaf Yucca





Ericameria
paniculata

Mohave Rab-
bitbush

Pluchea
sericea

Arrowweed

Yucca rostrata

Beaked Yucca

Finances

The team created a budget to identify the funding required for a project of this size. The team
reached out to Dr. Alejandro Angel, Vice President and Principal at Psomas Engineering Firm
for examples of parking lot renovation budgets. His advice addressed the feasibility of expensive
components and assisted the team in reconsidering a 75,000 ft3 underground cistern to retain
100% of a 25-year storm event due to cost constraints. His advice was crucial for an effective
proposal and timely implementation if the design is constructed on the U of A campus.

A funding strategy was developed for local sources, focusing on the University and six
surrounding colleges and museums bordering the site. In particular, support could come from
the Dean of CAPLA, who serves on the U of As Strategic Plan Board, and defined the built
environment as an asset to be enhanced across campus. Financial support from CAPLA could
influence surrounding leaders to initiate funding for the project.

The UA provides grants through the Green Fund, supporting sustainability projects on
campus. Green Fund Annual Grants have no budget limit, and project that are allocated the

12


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$10,000 award can be accomplished over 1-3 years. The Office for Research, Discovery, and
Innovation provides funding and support for new projects. Grants for new projects and faculty
like Dr. Meredith, are supported Category I Grants. Faculty Seed Grants of $10,000 can "jump
start" projects and aid in further funding development. National and State awards can be found in
Table 5.

Table 5 - Funding opportunities

Entity

Grant Title

Grant Description

Amount Awarded

USDA

Conservation
Innovation Grant

Drojects that drive public and private center innovation while conserving
resources

Max$1 Million

Why is it
Applicable?

The value of parking lots increase as the services they provide are enhanced. This project improves water
quality and temperatures associated with parking lots

USDT

Transportation
Alternative Program

Drojects that address enhanced mobility options, and
environmental mitigation related to stormwater

Max 80% of project cost

Why is it
Applicable?

This project focuses on pedestrian, bicycle, and other multi-modal users integrating into the site's
pedestrian networks

NSF

Rapid Response Research Projects related to gathering research based on anthropogenic disasters

Max $200,000

Why is it
Applicable?

Vlitigating the urban heat island effect will reduce high temperatures which can lead to medical
complications and cause heat related deaths

Landscape

Case Study
Investigation Grant

Drojects that examine the services the landscape provides through fieldwork and data
collection.

$10,000

Foundation

Why is it
Applicable?

This project will provide research on landscape performance related to stormwater infiltration and pollution
sequestration

AZ Dept of
Forestry and Fire
Management

Community
Challenge Grant

Drograms that support sustainable urban and community forestry programs at the
ocal level

$5,000- $20,000

Why is it
Applicable?

This project will supplement urban forestry on campus using native low water use species

National

State Garden Club
Scholarship

-or student training and environmental education

$4,000

Garden Club

Why is it
Applicable?

Droject research conducted by graduate students will improve knowledge of the landscape's impact on arid
environments



... _ , For entities providing pollution prevention outreach
Pollution Prevention Grant , .. . .

education to local businesses.

$40,000-$500,000 for up
to 2 years



Why is it Parking lot retrofits demonstrate how businesses can improve water quality & reduce cooling costs associated
Applicable? with parking lot temperatures.

Environmental Education Education projects that promote environmental

Grant awareness and provide skills to protect the environment.

$50,000- $100,00 for up
to 2 years



Why is it Signage & tours of research on the parking lot will educate the community about the impact of
Applicable? vehicles & parking lots on our environment

Environmental Justice Projects that address local environmental and public health issues in the
Grants community.

$30,000

EPA

Why is it Improving water quality and reducing heat island effects in desert communities is important for reducing heat
Applicable? related illnesses and deaths.

Community

Development Projects aimed at lonq term community needs and repair community infrastructure.
Block Grant

$200,000- $1 million



Why is it The U of A is a public campus, and improving infrastructure like parking lots will benefit the community's tem-
Applicable? peratures, water quality, and pedestrian safety.

Section 319 Grant Projects related to water pollution prevention programs education and demonstration

60% of the approved
cost



Why is it This site highlights reductions in stormwater runoff and reduces the amount of pollution coming off-site and into
Applicable? surrounding watersheds.

Science to Achieve Results _ . , . , ,. , ... , , . .....

q j Projects related to water quality and sustainability

$44,000 per year, max
2 years



Why is it By utilizing bioswales and phytoremediators, the design seeks to maintain parking spaces while
Applicable? improving water quality coming off-site

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Operation and Maintenance

Project maintenance is crucial for the sustained function and benefit of the site's design.
To optimize operation and maintenance of (Re)Searching for a Spot, the team contacted Woody
Remenicus, Project Manager and Stormwater Management Supervisor for Facilities Management
(FM) to develop the following maintenance plan for the project (Table 6).

Vegetation

Plant Replacement

Dead Heading	

Tree Trimming	

Shrub Thinning		

Pest/Weed Control*••

Mulchinj^	

Tree Stake Removal •••
Irrigation

Leak Tes^J	

Schedule Adjustment
Tree Emitter
Adjustment
Grading

Fine Contouring
Debris Removal
Sediment Removal
Permeable Paving
Sediment Removal ••••
Performance Audit-•••«
Condition Audit -

I	1	1	*	1	1	1

Initial	6 Months	1 Year	lYear	2 Years	2 Years	3 Years

Construction	6 Months	6 Months

Table 6 - Maintenance schedule

Community Impact

This project demonstrates the benefits an enhanced parking lot can provide, and how the
concept can be replicated across the campus and surrounding communities. This project expects
to bolster educational offerings on U of A campus and the surrounding communities on green
infrastructure, stormwater management, environmental education, and art, for faculty, students
(K-graduate), and the general public. Through courses offered by the collaborating departments
on this project, the research spot located on the project site would offer students practical skills by
learning in authentic environments to design for sustainability.

In addition, tours will assist the publics' visibility of the project site. Tucson groups
such as Watershed Management Group, a local non-profit, and Brad Lancaster, a Tucson water
harvesting expert frequently use U of A's water harvesting projects as institutional GI examples.
The site will impact the urban heat island (UHI) effect which typically affects underserved
populations at risk from heat related illness and death. (Re)Searching for a Spot can provide
an example of a parking lot retrofit through GI strategies could alleviate UHI and improve the
health and environment in underserved communities. This study will provide empirical findings
that support decision-making on U of A campus, and city/state level "million-dollar" stormwater
infrastructure. Agencies need GI performance data (in particular, arid environments) prior to
adopting alternative environmental policies for cost-effective stormwater management solutions.
In summary, (Re)Searching for a Spot expects to leave a lasting impact on the U of A campus and
the Tucson community in providing resilience design solutions to enhance the built environment.

14


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BUDGET & CALCULATIONS

Table 7 - Budget

Units

Walkways

Quantity

Price

Total

SF

Permeable Pavers

8,681.00

$4

$34,000

Ton

Base aggregate

215(1" depth)

$17.50

$3,800.00

Ton

DecomDosed Granite

32 (3" deDthl

$5

$160

EA

Corten Steel Bridaes

53 (4x8 1 /2"sheet1

$980

$52,000

EA

Concrete Scupper

2

$600

$1,200

LF

Concrete Header (landscape)
4"x6")

1,979

$20

$39,500

SF

Concrete Sidewalk

1,533

$4

$6,000

EA

Curb Access Ramo

6

$2,500

$15,000

SF

Pavement Stainina

12,685

$5

$63,500

LF

Hand Rail

313

$40

$1,500









$216,660

Units

Landscape

Quantity

Price

Total

SY

1/2" Screened

1,666

$4.29

$7,147

SY

4"-8" Rock Mulch

1,666

$23.01

$38,334

EA

Trees 24" Box

14

$185

$2,590

EA

Trees 15 qal

38

$137

$5,222

EA

Shrubs 5 qal

130

$25

$3,250

EA

Shrubs 1 qal

100

$10

$1.000

Ton

Boulders

9 (30 18" rocks')

$300

$9,000

LF

PVC 1" sch 40

1522 /100=15

$109.71 oer 100ft

$1.669

LF

1/4" oolv tubinq

500

4.16 oer 25' roll

$83

LS

Valve Assembly

1

$15,000

$15,000

CY

Landscaoe Excavation

267

$34.50

$9,200

SY

Landscape Fine qradinq

803

$2.45

$2,000

HOUR

Landscaoe Prunina

20

$250.00

$5,000

EA

Tree Grate and Frame

5

$2,800.00

$14,000

LF

Concrete Weir

25

$45.00

$2,250

LF

Rock Check Dam

25

$25.00

$1,250

EA

PVC sleevina

5

$136 (oer 5" x 20'1

$680

LS

LandscaDe Establishment

1

$25,000

$25,000

LS

Miscellaneous work (basin outlet)

1

$5,000

$5,000

LS

Mobilization

1

$10,000

$10,000









$157,675

Units

Seatinq

Quantity

Price

Total

CY

Cast in olace seat walls

20

$90

$1,800

CY

Concrete Base

100

$90

$9,000

EA

Benches

8

$3,000

$24,000









$34,800

Units

Siqnaqe

Quantity

Price

Total

EA

Educational sianaae

5

1x steel $980 + .5 cv concrete $50

$5,150

EA

Wavfindina sianaae

10

1x steel $200 + .2 cv concrete $25

$2,250

EA

Bench siqnaqe

3

Acrvlic Sheets 24x48 $20

$60

CY

Concrete Base

4

$90

$360

SF

Concrete Enaravina

600

$20

$12,000









$19,820

Units

Parkinq lot

Quantity

Price

Total

SF

Permeable asohalt

4197

$6

$25,180

TON

Aqqreqate

257 (6" deDthl

$156.00

$40,000

TON

New asohalt

213(4" deoth

$171

$35,000

EA

Wheel Stoos

138

$70

$9,660

LF

Header Curb

2,224

$15

33.360

LF

Pavement Markina

2,502

$0.25

$625

SY

Foq Coat

2,120

$25

$53,000









$196,825

Units

Demolition

Quantity

Price

Total









$40,000











Units

Extra

Quantity

Price

Total

LS

Continaencv





$93,000

LS

TemDorarv Traffic control devices





$20,000

LS

Contractor Qualitv Control





$20,000

LS

Art Work





$20,000

LS

Labor





$93,000









$246,000

Units

Walkways

Quantity

Price

Total

EA

Data Loaaer

2

$800

$1,600

YEARS

Cloud Storage

5

Annual subscriotion $185

$925









$2,525

















TOTAL

$915,000

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Table 8 - Time of Concentration



Subwatershed
1 (min)

Subwatershed
2 (min)

Total (min)

Existing

13.19

8.7

22

Proposed

72

66.84

138.84

Table 9 - Total Runoff

Table 10 - Basin Capacity

REFERENCES

Area

Area Sq. Ft.

2-year
Runoff

(ft3)

25-year
Runoff (ft3)

Parking lot

108,000

190,080

329,400

Basin Location

Avg. Depth (ft)

Cubic Feet (ft3)

Gallons (gal)

Non-Vegetated Research
Area

1

360

2,693

Vegetated Research Swales

1

22,569

168,828

Total



22,929

171,521

Table 11 - Total Runoff Depth

Storm Event

Total Runoff
Depth (in)

2- year Existing

1.26

2- year Proposed

1.22

25- year Existing

2.50

25- year Proposed

2.46

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