Professor Loheide is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He received his PhD in Hydrogeology from Stanford University. Dr. Loheide research is focused on science and engineering aspects of the movement of water through the environment as related to the complex and changing interactions among water needed for municipal and industrial uses, agriculture, and natural ecosystems.

“Urban Ecohydrology: Developing the science to inform green infrastructure implementation”

There is increasing recognition of the ecosystem services provided by both formal and informal green infrastructure in cities.  Yet, the science needed to create a more seamless and sustainable interface between the built and natural environment is not fully developed.  This presentation will explore how nuanced homeowner and developer decisions affect stormwater generation and control the fate of water captured by low-impact development practices.  We will introduce a framework based on traditional ecohydrologic theory to explain the variation in green infrastructure effectiveness across climatic gradients.  Finally, we will quantify the role of the urban canopy in reducing stormwater runoff and interactions that green infrastructure can have with temperature in cities.  This work is intended to form a scientific basis for guiding investments in green infrastructure in cities and reduce the hydrologic impacts of urbanization.