Using a steel dock-like structure and blocks of Styrofoam, a Louisiana professor has designed housing that avoids flood-damage by moving with rising water.
"In effect, the system of Louisiana State University engineering professor Elizabeth English works like a floating dock. When flooding occurs, the house is lifted above the water by flotation blocks beneath the home. The house settles to ground level when the flooding recedes."
"Experts are calling the proposal a 'more sophisticated version' of what flood-prone communities in many countries have used for decades - attaching homes to stilts."
"Moreover, English said, setting homes at street level makes them fit in better with neighboring structures, helping to preserve a neighborhood's culture."
FULL STORY: Louisiana professor proposes idea for making houses floodproof
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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.
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Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie