As more cities embrace small waterways for public and private development opportunities, experts caution about the risks of trusting existing resources on environmental risk along variable waterways.
Kevin Williams reports for the New York Times of a trend among private developers and public officials toward recognizing the economic development potential of long-neglected creeks and waterways.
The example of Wolf Creek in Trotwood, Ohio opens the article. "A former rail line along the creek has been converted into a bike path, and on warm spring days, cyclists pedal under the shade of sycamores," according to Williams.
Smaller waterways like Wolf Creek offer their own unique challenges when compared to the economic development surrounding the waterfronts along larger rivers, according to the article. Some residents don't realize that new amenities have been added along creeks, for example, but there are also wide swings in the amount of water flowing through small creeks—a variability exacerbated by climate change, according to the article.
The article discusses a variety of challenges and lessons from small cities that have already chosen a creek-oriented approach to economic development. Among the experts cited in the article is Bill Becker, a climate change expert and former Department of Energy official and author of the book, The Creeks Will Rise. In particular, Bill Becker warns that 100-year and 500-year flood maps published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency might not go far enough in defining post-climate change risk.
"Past isn’t prologue anymore," says Becker in the article.
FULL STORY: Creeks, Once Overlooked, Are Now Seen as Assets for Urban Renewal
Rediscovering the River
Chicago's river has often played second fiddle to its lakefront. A new riverwalk hopes to change that.
Quantifying Social Infrastructure
New developments have clear rules for ensuring surrounding roads, water, and sewers can handle new users. Why not do the same for community amenities?
NYC Open Streets Organizers Call for City Support
The number of open streets projects has dropped year after year as volunteer groups struggle to fund and staff them.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.
New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.
Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
Proposed state legislation would close a ‘legal gap’ that lets drivers who kill get away with few repercussions.
Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions