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