Collecting an reusing rainwater is one way cities can deal with diminishing freshwater supplies. The more people can collect, the better. And people can collect more water if they have bigger containers.
The superbarrel was conceived by John Chang, a water engineer in Chicago who saw empty chemical shipping containers and wondered whether they could be reused in an urban setting. So he got in touch with Steve Wise, director of the natural resources program at the Center for Neighborhood Technology.
"Wise's experiment is a simple test of an old adage: size matters. It also represents something of a challenge to a key premise of grassroots environmentalism. Small eco-conscious gestures, we are often told, add up to a big help for the planet. Following that advice, municipal governments, water districts and utilities across the country have offered customers subsidies for buying rain barrels, in hopes of relieving pressures on urban water supplies and sending less polluted runoff into waterways.
Yet the standard household rain barrel holds only 55 gallons-perhaps enough to water the flowers but not enough, even collectively, to make a big dent in urban water problems. By contrast, the superbarrel holds up to 330 gallons. Its colossal dimensions (40 by 50 by 54 inches) carry the potential to change the dimensions of water policy, too."
FULL STORY: The Superbarrel Solution
West Texas Growth Prompts Water Supply Concerns
Small desert communities are looking for ways to conserve water as their tourist and resident populations grow.
Protecting Water Security in the Chicago Area
Regional water issues are of major concern in many parts of the world. The Chicago area is especially sensitive to water. New efforts are underway there to help preserve a threatened resource.
Green Efforts Have Room to Grow in Chicago
Chicago is trying to position itself as one of the greenest cities in America, but longheld plans to upgrade the city's overburdened stormwater system highlight how far it has to go.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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