According to a new study, the state's coastal lands are sinking at a quicker rate than previously estimated.
New findings suggest that Louisiana's coasts are subsiding at an average rate of nine millimeters a year. That might not sound like much, but compounded with rising seas, some are calling the problem a "worst case scenario."
Chelsea Harvey writes: "Subsidence is believed to be a natural process, which has likely been occurring in the region for thousands of years. But scientists believe the process has been enhanced by a variety of human activities in the Mississippi Delta over the past century, including oil and gas extraction, as well as the building of levees and other actions affecting the flow of the Mississippi River [...]"
One observer notes that "the paper's greater value is the spatial variation it reveals, with different subsidence rates at different locations. This suggests that different parts of the shoreline may need more attention than others."
FULL STORY: Scientists say the rapid sinking of Louisiana’s coast already counts as a ‘worst case scenario’
Don't Blame Climate Change for Hurricane Florence
But you can blame climate change for 6 inches of storm surge resulting from sea level rise. Florence made landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday as a Category 1 storm with wind speeds of 90 mph.
Not Refugees—Climate Change 'Pioneers'
A change of nomenclature shifts focus to the self-determination of residents relocating from the coast of Louisiana as rising seas inundate their homes.
'America’s First Climate Refugees' Are Still on the Island
The 99 residents of Isle de Jean Charles have $48 million to relocate together, but that doesn’t make it easy.
Amtrak Ramping Up Infrastructure Projects
Thanks to federal funding from the 2021 infrastructure act, the agency plans to triple its investment in infrastructure improvements and new routes in the next two years.
Ending Downtown San Francisco’s ‘Doom Loop’
A new public space project offers an ambitious vision—so why is the city implementing it at such a small scale?
Proposal Would Transform L.A.’s ‘Freeway to Nowhere’ Into Park, Housing
A never-completed freeway segment could see new life as a mixed-use development with housing, commercial space, and one of the county’s largest parks.
Seattle Passes Downtown Zoning Reforms
The changes, part of the mayor’s Downtown Activation Plan, make way for more residential development in the city’s downtown core.
Report: U.S. Biking Boom Slows
The pandemic bike boom is petering out, but more Americans are biking than ever before, signaling a need for cities to keep improving bike infrastructure and make roads safer for cyclists.
Tempe Historic Preservation Proposal Could Make it Harder to Build New Homes
Proposed changes to the city’s preservation ordinance would make two-thirds of the city’s housing stock eligible for preservation.
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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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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
