A competition in the San Francisco Bay Area highlights projects considering new ways to design for impending environmental changes.
John King reports on the nine finalists of the Resilient by Design | Bay Area Challenge, which brought together teams to develop innovative ways to address sea-level rise and other resiliency threats in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The teams were assigned different sites throughout the Bay Area. For example, one team worked on a plan to get much-needed sediment back into the ecological system of the bay, says King:
Unlocking Alameda Creek is a meticulously researched vision for tapping the potential of the waterway that wends from Niles Canyon down through Fremont, Newark and Union City. Passages now channeled in concrete could be freed to allow fine grains of dirt and sand to be carried once again toward the bay. The new banks could be softened with trees and plants, and there could be seasonal trails and parks within them.
Other projects looked at green infrastructure as a climate adaptation tool, infrastructure and housing investments in low-income communities, and the design of elevated roadways through vulnerable coastal areas.
The nine teams, chosen from 51 entrants, included designers, architects, engineers, and community residents and leaders. Each team received an award of $250,000 to fund a year-long project.
FULL STORY: For a world of rising sea levels, a showcase of proposed solutions
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.