The team at Stantec also had the community in mind when working on the Blue and Green Corridors project, employing a concept known as the “Complete Streets” approach. In essence, the “Complete Streets” approach is predicated on designing streets that prioritize safety, comfort, and access for everyone who uses a street: walkers, runners, bikers, and vehicles. Because the team at Stantec completed extensive community outreach in the planning stages for the project, they were able to design in such a way that puts the community first. This in- cludes steps such as including high visibility crosswalks and accessible curb ramps, but it also includes strategically placed infrastructure, such as the stormwater bumpouts, to slow vehicle speeds and reduce the distance between crosswalks. According to projection models, improvements made by the Blue and Green Corridors project even have the potential to reduce flooding,
even in the areas surrounding the project, by up to six inches. This highlights the potential of the system, and it demonstrates a path for- ward to reducing flooding in the City of New Orleans by building new systems that work in tandem with the old. In a community where flooding is at the forefront of concerns, the Blue and Green Corridors project is proof that we can use new, innovative techniques to supplement our previous understanding in order to im- prove the lives of those who live in the community.
LUKE CAROTHERS is the Editor for Civil + Structural Engineer Media. If you want us to cover your project or want to feature your own article, he can be reached at lcarothers@zweiggroup.com.
The Hidden Gems of Eastern Glades Underlying Infrastructure Yields Natural and Enhanced Park Experience By Christina Hughes and David Lundberg
Prior to the construction of the Clay Family Eastern Glades develop- ment in Houston, Texas, Memorial Park, consisting of 1400+ acres, was primarily known as an exercise park where people could engage in outdoor activities such as walking, running, and biking. As Memorial Park developed a new, 10-year Master Plan designed by landscape ar- chitectural firm Nelson Byrd Woltz, they sought to increase patronage and greater expand usage of the park. Walter P Moore joined the team to redesign and reconstruct the widely underutilized Eastern Glades section of the park and establish the park as an all-day destination for Houston residents and visitors. Hines Lake The highlight of the Memorial Park Eastern Glades development is the prominent Hines Lake, which provides many benefits to the site— some hidden to the untrained eye. Eastern Glades was designed to both minimize impacts from development and highlight the importance of conservation and environmental stewardship. Concepts such as water reuse, water treatment, and flood resilience were integral to the project. In addition to habitat and recreation benefits for the community, the lake was designed as a multi-function basin that stores and treats runoff for re-use as irrigation and holds stormwater runoff during large rain- fall events to protect the site and surrounding area from increased flood risk. To address the owner’s concerns for a natural-looking aesthetic, most of the infrastructure is hidden below at least three feet of water in the lake. Above this level, the park will re-use the first foot of water
for irrigation in lieu of buying potable water from the City. A water balance study used statistical rainfall analysis and local information on seepage and evaporation to determine the percentage of total irrigation demand that would be met using one foot of water storage. Working with a lake consultant designing the circulation system, it was deter- mined that the lake will be fully refilled with rainfall and stormwater capture from the site most months out of the year. The water reuse storage is meant to offset the irrigation demands of the Eastern Glades improvements, providing a total of 86 percent of annual irrigation demand and making the park more resilient to drought. Wal- ter P Moore conducted the water balance study to confirm the lake’s capacity to store water to be reused for the park’s irrigation needs, accounting for losses from infiltration, evaporation, and seepage. The lake also functions as a stormwater quality treatment system and includes two sediment forebays at the lake’s inflow points to restrict sediment and debris particles entering the main body of the lake, which
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April 2021
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