In a part of Staten Island largely developed before formal sewer systems were in place, the effort to address both logistics and environmental issues offers lessons for other urban areas.
"By the 1980s, the lack of underground pipes for sanitary and stormwater sewers had led to failing septic systems, degraded water quality, erosion and flooding. The solution to this problem, twenty years (and counting) in the making, is an inspiring case study of coordinating infrastructural imperatives with ecological priorities."
Urban Omnibus talks with Dana Gumb about the project.
"Dana Gumb has been working on the Staten Island Bluebelt since 1988. He started first with the Department of City Planning and then went on to lead the Bluebelt project at the Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP), the agency responsible for the City's water supply - that's 1 billion gallons a day, 7,000 miles of water mains and 7,400 miles of sewer lines. NYC DEP started acquiring property for the Bluebelt in the early 1990s and since 1995 has worked with the water engineering firm Hazen and Sawyer alongside teams of consultants ranging from environmental planners to archaeologists to architects."
Read the full story: The Staten Island Bluebelt: Storm Sewers, Wetlands, Waterways
NYC Will Finally Bring Sewer System to Flood-Prone Brooklyn Neighborhood
A 12-block area known as ‘The Hole’ straddling Brooklyn and Queens has struggled with flooding and sewage contamination for decades.
How Peoria Is Putting Green Infrastructure to Work
Peoria's new stormwater farm takes the pressure off its outdated combined sewer system. It's part of a larger effort by the city to align green infrastructure with social equity goals.
Atlanta Installs Permeable Pavement in Flood-Prone Neighborhoods
These Atlanta neighborhoods stand to gain in the long term from the city's new permeable pavement system and water retention park. But the project has displaced some residents.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority