Water Sensitive Urban Open Spaces: Comparing North American Best Management Practices

The paper reports about the opportunity to apply the principles of sustainable stormwater management in urban open spaces, as realized in some countries all over the world. Focusing on the design criteria of green streets and emphasizing their multiple benefits, the main technical solutions of best management practices are presented in a glossary proposal. Having selected nine North American mayor cities, to study possible connections between facilities typologies and geographical positions, their climatic features are associated with the technical solutions suggested in the related stormwaters sustainable design manuals and toolkits. The discussion of presented comparisons indicates directions of development for critical reflections and research on the subject, useful for cities still lacking in these technical indications.