Green–Grey–Blue–Intelligent (GGBI) Framework
A practical framework that integrates ecological, engineered, aquatic, and intelligent infrastructure to support resilience across water and urban systems.
What is the GGBI Framework?
The Green–Grey–Blue–Intelligent (GGBI) Framework organizes how we think about water and urban systems by recognizing four interacting domains: green infrastructure, grey infrastructure, blue systems (rivers, estuaries, coasts), and an intelligent layer that connects data, models, AI tools, institutions, and communities.
The terms Green–Grey–Blue–Intelligent (GGBI) and Green–Grey–Blue–Smart (GGBS) are used by the author to describe the same integrated framework. The term “Intelligent” is adopted here as the preferred expression to reflect a broader scope encompassing data, modeling, AI, institutions, and human decision-making.
GGBI is not a single model or tool. It is a way to structure problems, connect scales, and design portfolios of solutions that combine ecological, engineered, aquatic, and intelligent elements.
The Framework
Core concepts, definitions, and diagrams describing the four domains of the GGBI Framework and how they interact across scales.
The Four Domains
Green, Grey, Blue, and Intelligent: ecological systems, engineered infrastructure, aquatic systems, and the intelligent layer that integrates data, models, and institutional knowledge.
Applications
Urban stormwater, watershed and basin-scale planning, estuarine and coastal processes, flood resilience, climate adaptation, and intelligent monitoring and modeling systems.
Publications & Resources
Selected academic publications, technical reports, teaching materials, and conceptual diagrams related to the GGBI Framework and its domains.
About This Site
Background on the development of the GGBI Framework and how this site synthesizes research, teaching, and practice across water and urban systems.
Founder
Information about Professor Qizhong (George) Guo and the broader body of work that informs the GGBI Framework.
(Website initiated on .)
中文摘要 Chinese
绿-灰-蓝-智 框架 GGBI (Green–Grey–Blue–Intelligent) Framework 是一种面向城市与流域水系统的综合性思维结构， 强调绿色基础设施（生态与基于自然的解决方案）、灰色基础设施（工程与管网系统）、 蓝色系统（河流、河口与海岸等水体过程），以及智能层（数据、模型、AI 工具、制度与社会协同） 的耦合与联动。
该框架并非单一模型或工具，而是用于组织复杂问题、连接多尺度过程、并设计“组合式方案”的方法， 适用于城市雨洪管理、海绵城市与低影响开发、流域规划、河口海岸韧性、以及多灾种洪涝风险治理等场景。
绿–灰–蓝–智（GGBI）框架及其网站由美国罗格斯大学郭祺忠教授于 2025 年发起。