Welcome to the Massachusetts Low Impact Development Toolkit homepage.

Low Impact Development (LID) strategies use careful site design and decentralized stormwater management to reduce the environmental footprint of new growth.
This approach improves water quality, minimizes the need for expensive pipe-and-pond stormwater systems, and creates more attractive developments. The Massachusetts Low Impact Development Toolkit is a set of materials designed to help citizens, public officials and developers implement LID.
We are continually adding new material to this site, so please check back frequently. For more information or to order hard copies of our materials, please email: lid@mapc.org.

Explore the Toolkit:

• An introduction to LID—for public officials, advocates, & citizens
• An introduction to LID—for developers and property owners
• An introduction to LID—for engineers, planners, and landscape architects
• Low Impact Development FAQs
• Stormwater Bylaws and Low Impact Development
• LID Local Codes Checklist
• Low Impact Development Slide Show
• Internet Links and Resources

LID Fact Sheets

• Low Impact Site Design
• Roadways and Parking Areas
• Permeable Paving
• Bioretention
• Vegetated Swales
• Filter Strips
• Infiltration Trenches and Dry Wells
• Cisterns and Rain Barrels
• Green Roofs

Credits:

The Massachusetts Low Impact Development Toolkit is a product of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, in coordination with the I-495 MetroWest Corridor Partnership, with financial support from the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Massachusetts Low Impact Development Interagency Working Group also provided valuable input and feedback on the LID Toolkit. 

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