A new project by the Nature Conservancy maps the impact of natural infrastructure—often found well outside the city limits—on urban water supplies.
Rachel Dovey shares news of the Urban Water Blueprint project by the Nature Conservancy, which "maps dozens of city watersheds and makes a compelling argument for a greener approach to engineering the flow to our tap." According to Dovey, the project makes a case that "[instead] of relying on costly capital projects to filter sediments and pollution, urban officials should invest in the 'natural infrastructure' of riverbanks, forests and farmlands that affect the quality and quantity of their water before it even reaches city boundaries."
To showcase the breadth and depth of the project, Dovey shares five examples of cities that "utilize their watershed’s natural infrastructure to purify and conserve." Case studies shared by Dovey include New York, San Diego, Santa Fe, Cape Town (South Africa), and Manila (Philippines).
Read the full story: Five Cities Where ‘Natural Infrastructure’ Improved the Water Supply
El Paso Wastewater Purification Facility Breaks Ground
As water supplies become strained and technology advances, cities look to wastewater as a viable source of drinking water.
Great Lakes To Receive $1 Billion from Infrastructure Bill For Restoration
An additional $1 billion in federal funding will bolster current efforts to clean polluted water sources and restore ecosystems in the Great Lakes region.
The Dismal State of Water Infrastructure in Rural Kentucky
In a region where the utility is on the "brink of financial collapse," residents face outages, boil-water advisories and bills that come with health warnings.
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.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Malls are becoming the midtowns of the future
Mall and office park redevelopments are a generational opportunity to create new nodes of urbanity.
NYC breaks ground on anti-flooding infrastructure project
New York City's new system will reduce stormwater flows to local sewers by 90%.
One Kentucky town’s secret to affordable housing
The Smoketown Community Land Trust has already built seven affordable homes for community members.
Houston gains petal-shaped cooling infrastructure to make streets more ‘delightful’
The city has installed the pavilions along 15 blocks in Houston.
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