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In today’s cities, both human accommodation and stormwater management are imperative, but their different requirements compete for the function and character of urban places. This paper explains examples of conflicts between them, and resolution of the conflict through integral design. The information is based on photographs and notes from approximately 1,000 stormwater facilities and urban sites collected during the last 35 years in North America and overseas, and the author’s experience on multi-disciplinary design teams.
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Resolu'on of Human and Stormwater Values
in Urban Spaces
Bruce K. Ferguson EDRA, Providence, May 2013
Both Are Impera-ve Human accommoda'on Stormwater management
• Ar's'c • Crea've • Public
• Technical • Environmental • Regulatory
Dundee, Scotland Columbus, Ohio
Stormwater Management
Health, sanita'on, water quan'ty, water quality Technologies & facili'es:
• Permeable pavements • Green roofs • Water harves'ng • Bioreten'on • Channels, swales, culverts • Filters • Basins, ponds, wetlands • Floodways
Water Environment Federa'on; Debo & Reese
Features are arrayed in urban space
Source area Human-‐centered
Perimeter Buffers or carries away discharges
Downstream Excess flow
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Source area
Perimeter area
Downstream area
Alongside environment & technologies Stormwater amenity agenda “Celebra'ng stormwater in site design” “Mainstream Western aesthe'cs”
• Educa'on • Recrea'on • Public rela'ons • Aesthe'c richness • Moral • Eco-‐revelatory • Interes'ng • Pleasurable benefits
Pennypacker & Echols
Human Accommoda-on
People’s interac'ons develop economy • Coopera'on, support, experience • Employment, opportunity, wealth, resilience
People’s interac'ons enable communi'es • Groups 'ed by commonali'es • Iden'ty, purpose, values
Jane Jacobs, Glaeser
Measure of human success of urban space Safe, ac've use by people • Aarac'on of residents, visitors, immigrants • Employment, wealth, economic growth • Community iden'ty • Safety, health, well-‐being
Gehl, Glaeser, Jacobs, Whyte
Design provisions
Denver, Colorado
• Diverse uses • Linkages to streets and buildings • Pedestrian safety • Sea'ng with interes'ng views
Athens, Georgia Melbourne, Australia
Whyte, Gehl, Jacobs
Different Values Compete for Place Overdesign for water:
Athens, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
• Peak-‐flow control • Drainage & sanita'on
Portland, Oregon
• ‘Water art’, ‘wetland park’ • Liale urban connec'on
Overdesign for water
Overdesign with water
Charloae, North Carolina
• Indirect access • Discon'nuous building frontage
Under-‐design for water
• Pollu'on
Liberia • Flooding
Britain
Under-‐design for water
• Bioreten'on hidden
Portland, Oregon
Liptan & Murase
Values Interact in Specific Places
Gieryn; Cuban & Hummon; Florida
Socie'es invest places • With history, iden'ty, meaning, value
Through aaribu'on of meaning to a place • Individuals & communi'es define iden''es
Place iden'ty evolves • With place’s history and environment
Providence, Rhode Island
Water sedngs can contribute Water brings: • Mo'on, sound, color, varia'on in 'me • Associa'ons with climate, earth, plants
People respond to natural elements • Reduce stress, improve relaxa'on, healing • Go about their lives more effec'vely
Water is a place resource like: • Artworks • Movement of people through space • Heritage landmarks • Trees, flowers
Kaplan, Kaplan & Ryan; Ulrich; Mador
Water components can be made percep'ble Actual rainwater flow is only occasional • Empty of water most of the 'me • Structure has to maintain associa'ons on its own Architecture can ar'culate • Con'nuous flow route • Visible connec'on with regional water courses • Flow direc'on & level changes expressed • Materials: plants, rocks, living things • Safety: dis'nct edge; limited depth & velocity
Echols & Pennypacker; Dreiseitl & Grau; Nassauer; Mador
Integral Design Reconciles Values
• Different stormwater features have different poten'als • Specific site design choices are important • Stormwater features & technologies have flexibility.
Perceptual*contribu/on*
to*place*
Priority*for*use*of*space*Human& Water&
Low&
High&
Permeable&pavements,&green&roofs,&harves9ng&
Rain&gardens&
Basins,&ponds,&wetlands&
Floodways&
Culverts&
Downspo
uts&
Source&area& Perimeter& Downstream&
Channels&&&swales&
Surf.&filters&
Dual use of sources area’s buildings
Green roofs • Visibility to people • Aarac'veness as gardens
Dual use of source area’s pavements
• Porous texture • Paaern, color
Portland, Oregon
In source area’s pockets of space
In these loca'ons: • Spa'al organiza'on • Close contact with people
Design choices: • Visible runoff inlets • Architectural edges • Dis'nc've vegeta'on
Stroud, England
In perimeter’s swales
• Con'nuous flow route • Ambiguous edge • Indis'nct vegeta'on
Waterford, Connec'cut
• Parallel homes & footpaths • Rou'ne contact with people • Maintained by residents
Davis, California
Corbea; Thayer & Westbrook
‘Dayligh'ng’ perimeter’s culverts
Berkeley, California
• Interac'on with people • Newly created nature sedng
Pinkham
Perimeter’s basins, ponds & wetlands
• Art, scenic beauty • Natural vegeta'on • Orderly movement • Orderly edges
Conclusion Progress in stormwater amenity evalua'on • Objec've success of urban space
Of which water sedng is one of the components • In place of subjec've aesthe'cs Human economy & community call upon stormwater • To contribute to place • To limit compe''on for space • To integrate with success of place Each urban place becomes • Less specialized • More mul'-‐func'onal, complex
To design Select type of stormwater facility • Poten'al to contribute to place Design in detail to bring out that poten'al • Dual use or 'ght spa'al organiza'on • Close human contact • Ar'cula'on of water & nature Design for human success • Stormwater is only part
Where design is integral Values are reconciled • Compe''on is eliminated • Each is successful Unity in applica'on • Engineering • Landscape architecture • Social science
