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UrbanLabs Plan for WW Treatment Source: UrbanLab Slide 2 What we found: Slide 3 Design Paradigm of Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature (Doug Farr) Sustainability implies that the critical activities of a community are, at a minimum, ecologically sound, socially just and economically viable, and that they will continue to be so for future generations. Slide 4 Diminished Cities of the Great Lakes Although an indelibly altered environment is the legacy of former industrial and urban glory, ironically, the promise of recovery for the diminished cities of the Great Lakes is rooted in the regions: ecological goods and services which provide an abundance of water and agricultural fertility in the face of scarcity elsewhere. Slide 5 Louisiana Home to 1/4 of all wetlands in lower 48 states; 40% of salt marshes Loss over last 50 years - 25 sq. mi./y; 1932-2000 - 1,900 sq. mi. lost (size of Delaware); projected loss 2000-2050 - 700 sq. mi. Produces 1/3 of oil US uses, much of which moves through pipelines (6,000 mi. of pipelines); Home to US strategic Petroleum Reserve Slide 6 Since 1998 there have been plans for restoring barrier islands and coastal wetland - effort poorly funded http://www.lacoast.gov/watermarks/2005-08/watermarks-2005-08.pdf New Orleans - as Venice, let river run through it Wetland restoration - challenge to restore full structure/function Slide 7 THE LIVING CITY DEFINED A LIVING CITY IS A VIBRANT URBAN PLACE - DESIGNED TO SUPPORT MARKETS FOR ECOLOGICAL GOODS AND SERVICEs - MANAGED TO INDUCE SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES. Slide 8 RECOMMENDATIONS Leadership needs to focus on specific initiatives Set clear, ambitious but achievable targets Identify demonstration projects (Do Action!) Educate to grow demand and markets Exploit opportunities from full cost accounting Slide 9 The City of the Future: A Design and Engineering Challenge Celebrating The History Channel series Engineering an Empire Julia Hand Siti Zuraidah Abidin Caitlin Feehan Jennifer Raber Northwestern University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Acknowledgements: Slide 10 Post-industrial cities have suffered decades of erosion in their population and economic base accompanied by crumbling infrastructure and beleaguered communities Detroit is the poster child for shrinking cities with massive population loss, 25% in the last decade alone, causing a spiral of increasingly unsustainable municipal capacity. Chicago lost 200,000, or roughly 7%, of its overall population in the last decade Chicago city of contrasts Dramatic Shifts North America Slide 11 Hurricane Sandy 17 Tide Surge Climate vs. Economy? Economic hit due to Sandy -- $50 B in losses (Katrina - $108 B) -Area hit represents about 20% of total US economic activity -Metro NYC 10% of US total economic activity -$20B in economic activity; $12 B from NYC -$30B in property loss -0.5% point off 4 th quarter growth -85 M homes no electricity -70% of East Coast refineries shut down -> 110 deaths Boost to construction with recovery? (Climate change influence chaotic jet stream, warmer ocean T, higher sea level)