Dave Hampton selected work 2002-2018

SELECTED WORK 2002-2018 DAVE HAMPTON

+1 336-775-7924 regroundllc@gmail.com

FOND DES BLANCS TOWN CENTRE, HAITI ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT & COMMUNITY RESILIENCE STRATEGIES for

Build Health International November 20, 2017

Prepared by Dave Hampton, RE:GROUND LLC Landscape Architect Consultants Maïlys Meyer Thomas Nideroest

How to Use this Report Thematic sections

begin to establish a typology of conditions which - if found to be applicable - have the potential to be applied more broadly across Fond des Blancs.

Risk / resilience theme

Quotes

allow community members to speak for themselves whenever possible.‘Problems’ often contain the solution.

Quotations are intended to order the page and give the reader the option to move through the report in an alternate way, relating to themes.

Thematic subsections explore themes in greater detail. Often correspond to workshop sectors/clusters (see p. 10). Thematic map pages sometimes bring risks such as rain, wind, or earthquake into context:

(RISK CONTEXT)

Images

show context and examples.

Mostly taken from field walks, they show specific conditions, but can begin to be applied more broadly across the landscape.

Future Scenarios

of a changing climate will affect future planning efforts.

Scenarios are based upon the Paris Climate Accord, 2016 (1.5° C warming).

Context description

moves from general considerations to specific examples found within Fond des Blancs.

Recommendations

offer early, general ideas for resilience strategies to help refine the community engagement process, especially Workshops and Focus Groups.

Whenever possible, recommendations are tied to existing national governmental agendas and accepted international standards (see Appendix A).

Links to other themes

let users consider other challenges and opportunities within one theme to other themes.

Themes cut across disciplines and sectors.

Location keys

are sometimes used to reference maps and map visualizations, when applicable.

Fig. A sample report double-page spread.

Health & Wellness Lens

because Build Health International and its prime partner, SBHF, are health-care focused, when applicable, recommendations for viewing opportunties through the lens of health & wellnessare indicated by the ‘ ‘ icon.

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Suggested Literature

provides further reading to grounding the user to academic research, studies, best practices, and examples.

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A.

SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS AGRICULTURE & FOOD SECURITY

A.1 Highlands

A.2 Midlands plateau and valley

A.3 Lowlands

low vegetation mature high-canopy trees

A.1.1 Highlands (south slope)

mature high-canopy trees fields: corn beans squash

orchard Trees

human settlement

livestock: cattle goats fowl

Banana Plantation

low vegetation

trees: fruit-bearing understory softwoods

grasses

T

aking a theoretical section, or transect, across a landscape and using it to identify a typology - or set of typologies - can be a useful tool for understanding a socio-ecological system. While typologies may not hold true over an entire region, one begins to see patterns emerging which can aid the planning process, without becoming bogged down in the details of each specific instance.

Because at least half of the community makes its living from the land - 22% of revenue from raising livestock, 20% from farming, and 8% from charcoal production, understanding AGRICULTURE & FOOD SECURITY is critical.

The following pages correspond to the section-elevation above.

Fig.II.A.0.1.West-east section-elevation.

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A.

SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS 1. AGRICULTURE & FOOD SECURITY | HIGHLANDS

“Used to be trees so thick you couldn’t walk”.

“People need to become educated, because how can they cut a fruit tree to make charcoal?”

– Dominique Guirand, Sainthon resident

Fig. II.A.1.1. Path to Bernadel with understory trees and interspersed agriculture (corn, squash) beyond.

Fig. II.A.1.2. Ravine with high canopy trees (coconut palm, mango) and understory species.

Fig. II.A.1.3. Ravine with path, crops at left (corn, beans, squash), coffee at right, and high canopy trees (mango).

Fig. II.A.1.4. Coffee trees present in understory.

Food insecurity in Haiti is high: 50% of the population is undernourished according to the UN World Food Program’s, comparing with North Korea and sub-Saharan African nations such as Namibia and Malawi.

Workshop and Assessment Report results acknowledged the importance of food security, with drought listed as a top environmental challenge by 21% of interviewees. Other reflections included loss of certain plants such as citrus, coffee, and cotton.

LINKS TO OTHER THEMES

During the transect walks, a variety of highland conditions were observed.

In a high ravine above (north of) Gaspard II on southeastern slopes, a mix of moderate high canopy trees (coconut palm, mango), understory (coffee) with interspersing of crops (corn, beans, squash) was present, with minimal erosion mostly confined to pedestrian and pack animal paths.Anecdotal evidence suggests that reforestation programs were encouraged by - and funded by - the Goverment of Haiti in the 1980’s, attributing subsequent deforestation to charcoal production, citrus epidemics.

Agriculture in midlands / plateau and valley, Agriculture in lowlands, Erosion, Economy & Livelihoods

Fig. A.1.5. Highland field between Bernadel and Gaspard II. Fig. A.1.6. Field on sloped topography near Vibert.

In the drier, mostly south-facing hillsides between Vibert and Mirye (Figs. II.A.1.5-10), fewer high canopy trees were present, with more erosion visible especially where terracing does not occur. Of the few examples of terraced farming observed (Figs. II.A.1.10-12), generally accepted practice of building ridge-and-channel across existing slopes to intercept runoff water and reduce soil erosion is not followed, rather, terraces are generally cut into the existing topography, contributing to destabilization of soil and exacerbating erosion. This was acknowledged by the Community & Natural Resources sector/cluster: “‘Kanal de kontou’”, or building of canals along contours.

Crop diversity generally appeared low, but traditional for the area, with an overwhelming reliance on corn, beans, and squash. Some innovation was present, such as pineapple (Fig. II.A.1.11).

Construction of buildings in or immediately adjoining highland ravines is minimal, observed only near Vibert (private homes), but should continue to be monitored, especially as a Community & Natural Resources action plan item is the adminishment “don’t build in inapproriate places.”

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A.

SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS 3. AGRICULTURE & FOOD SECURITY | LOWLANDS

Fig. II.A.3.1. Streamside subsistence agriculture between Kabya and Balanyen: corn, plantain.

Fig. II.A.3.2. Tobacco crop adjoining Ravine Dubois, upstream from Digé.

Lowlands normally include streams and water bodies, thus tend to be wetter environments with alluvial soils, but with some deposition of geological material from higher elevations (rounded stones). Some high-canopy trees softwoods such as royal palm and hardwoods such as mango - are present in lowlands.

During field walks, crop diversity generally appeared low, but traditional for the area, with an overwhelming reliance on corn, beans, and squash. Some rarer crops were present, such as tobacco (Fig. A.3.2).

A brief conversation with coffinmaker Pierre - a coffinmaker, handyman, and subsistence farmer - revealed that his approximately 0.5 acre (0.2 hectare) plot of lowland crops of corn, beans, squash (Figs. A.3.3-4) within 50 meters of a stream floods periodically, but only during hurricanes are crops typically lost.

Another passing farmer noted that his goats are often left to graze unattended during the day along the stream, which return to him at end of the day; the practice appears to be common.

Construction of buildings in or immediately adjoining lowland ravines is minimal, observed only near Vibert (private homes), but should continue to be monitored.

Charcoal production was evident (see p. 90 for additional discussion on economy and livelihoods).

LINKS TO OTHER THEMES Agriculture in highlands, Agriculture in midlands / plateau and valley, Erosion, Flooding, Economy & Livelihoods

“My fields flood periodically, but I only lose crops during a hurricane.”

– Pierre, subsistence farmer, coffinmaker

Figs. II.A.3.3. Streamside subsistence agriculture between Balanyen and Ka Lendi: corn, beans, squash.

Figs. II.A.3.4. Same as above.

FUTURE SCENARIO Increasing swings in temperature extremes will increase the likelihood of summer storms and amount of rainfall, and with species migration from low to higher elevations.

More surfacewater will move quickly through the landscape with highlands left drier, threatening cooler weather and moisture-loving crops.

Low-lying areas will experience increased water volumes and flow, impacting roadstream/river crossings.

RECOMMENDATIONS Community health - expand concept of healthcare to preventative practices, incl. nutrition, access, & food security.

Document other lowlands areas in Fond des Blancs.

Preserve subsistence agriculture and especially mature high-canopy trees and fruit-bearing species.

Divert polluted surfacewater flows from/into waterbodies.

Workshop / Focus Group: Agricultural best practices (crop diversity, interplanting, crop rotation/tilling, terracing, etc.)

SUGGESTED LITERATURE Watson, C. 2017. Land restoration in Ethiopia: ‘This place was abandoned... This is incredible to me’, The Guardian, 21 June 2017.

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A.

SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS HYDROLOGY

Precipitation Rain Fall

Storm Event Storm Water Run-Off Transpiration and Assimilation Slope Reinforcement Flooding

Water Infiltration & Purification

Drainage Diversion Infiltration

Farm Irrigation Land Slide Land Erosion

Wells (drilled or dug) Salinization (in coastal zones)

Aquifer Replenishment

Local Aquifer & Ground Water

Waste Water Run-Off

A

nother theoretical section across the landscape illustrates the hydrological cycle and threats to it. This is useful in helping to visualize common socio-environmental systems-based challenges which affect land and people.

Fig. II.A.0.2. West-east section-elevation.

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A.

SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS 6. HYDROLOGY | EROSION

Fig. II.A.6.1. Highland ravine northwest of Gaspard III showing some erosion from wear of footpath.

Fig. II.A.6.2. Erosion in agricultural fields between Vibert and Mirye.

“All the rich soil is being washed away. Need to plant more trees, cut fewer down, and stop chopping away rocks.”

– Community & Natural Resources sector/cluster participant

Fig. II.A.6.3. Erosion in agricultural fields between Vibert and Mirye.

Fig. II.A.6.4. Erosion in agricultural fields between Vibert and Mirye.

Ravines and gullies – which present a considerable risk to people and property in steep, highly urbanized areas, and at the confluence of undeveloped land-urban interfaces – present less of a risk in Fond des Blancs because of modest slopes, low-density development, and modest volumes of surfacewater flow. The latter, however, should be confirmed with further evidence.

As sloping topographies increase, surface water flow exacerbates erosion, especially paths which intersect with ravines or streams. This was acknowledged by the Community & Natural Resources sector/cluster: “stop erosion of ravines” and to build “‘Kanals de kontou’”, or canals which follow existing contours. Roads and footpaths are often cut (or trod/worn) into the existing topography (II.A.6.7, 6.9-11), rather than working with existing grades and constructed on top, exacerbating erosion. Furthermore, roads which are cut into softer soils and rock will erode and degrade faster.

LINKS TO OTHER THEMES

Fig. II.A.6.1

Figs. II.6.2-4

Agriculture in highlands, Agriculture in midlands / plateau and valley, Agriculture in lowlands, Flooding, Data collection and analysis

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A.

SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS 6. HYDROLOGY | EROSION

“The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.”

– Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America

Fig. II.A.6.13. Erosion along road between Vibert and Mirye.

Fig. II.A.6.14. Erosion in main road between Sainthon and Gaspard II.

Fig. II.A.6.15. Erosion along road running alongside ravine, between Vibert and Mirye.

Fig. II.A.6.16. Erosion along road between Vibert and Mirye.

FUTURE SCENARIO Increasing swings in temperature extremes will increase the likelihood of summer storms and amount of rainfall.

More surfacewater will move quickly through the landscape with highlands left drier, threatening agriculture. Landslides may become more acute with soil destabilization due to increased rainfall.

Low-lying areas will experience increased water volumes and flow, impacting roadstream/river.

Figs. II.A.6.13, 15-16

RECOMMENDATIONS Document areas of critical (life-threatening, potential to destabilize structures) erosion in Fond des Blancs.

Data collection and analysis: study localized geology to see which roads are most likely to erode.

Preserve from development high-slope and ravine areas which may be at risk to landslides, and which have the potential to contribute to a healthy watershed and contribute to biodiversity due to older growth hardwood trees and healthy understory.

Use stormwater catchment and flow diversion techniques to keep erosion and debris flow in check.

Construct new roads and drainage canals to follow existing topography.

SUGGESTED LITERATURE Merrill, B. et al. 2003. Best Management Practices for Road Rehabilitation: Partial Road Recontouring, California State Parks. [unknown author], (unknown date] Physical Methods for Slope Stabilization and Erosion Control, [unknown pub]

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A.

SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS 7. HYDROLOGY | FLOODING

“During Hurricane Matthew, the water was high. But, within two days, the water went down and the stream was clear.”

– Digé resident

Fig. II.A.7.1. Water-borne debris - a result of flooding - along Ravine Dubois between Ka Lendi and Dige.

Fig. II.A.7.2. Similar to above.

Fig. II.A.7.3. Footpath in lowlands area showing drainage to center Fig. II.A.7.4. Footpath in lowlands area at intersection with stream, showing erosion and garbage.

Flooding - and its inverse, drought - were a top concern of Fond des Blancs residents, with Workshop and Assessment Report results listing drought as the top environmental challenge by 47% of interviewees and 13% listing rain.

LINKS TO OTHER THEMES

Considerable visual evidence of flooding was present in Fond des Blancs (Figs. II.A.7.1-4).

Anecdotal evidence suggested that floodwaters ranged from a height of under 1 meter to nearly 4 meters near Dige road crossing during Hurricane Matthew and in spring 2017, the latter destroying a pedestrian bridge by undermining its abutments (Figs. II.A.7.10-12). Water-borne debris such as garbage, stones, and even boulders have the capacity to cause serious damage to people, property, and critical assets.

In terms of flooding impacts to water access in streams, one interviewee noted that while stream-side water points such as at Dige could not be accessed during Hurricane Matthew, floodwaters receded within two days.

Agriculture in highlands, Agriculture in midlands / plateau and valley, Agriculture in lowlands, Erosion, Service Networks & Water Access.

Figs. II.A.7.1-4

It is critical to keep in mind that the storage of - and access to - potable water was also cited by Fond des Blancs residents as important. From the Assessment Report, 79% reported no means of water storage and 53% has no access to a reliable water source. Water for either drinking, irrigation, sanitation, or construction was noted by nearly all workshop sector/clusters, and high priortity placed on catchment, storage, irrigation, and distribution systems.

flooding might be viewed as the perfect example of an asset rather than a risk, a blessing in disguise as long as clean water can be 1) caught at the right time before it can do damage and 2) stored before it becomes unuseable.

Thus,

See pp. 104-7 for further discussion of water distribution networks.

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RE:GROUNDING RESILIENCE Networked and Productive Landscapes in Cuba (excerpts)

DAVE HAMPTON

2

Limonar derives its name from the lemon groves established by French plantation owners fleeing the 1791 slave rebellion in Haiti. This typical Cuban town owes its existence to the production of sugarcane, as do many small towns in Matanzas and the central provinces.

Why Limonar and not Havana?

Havana is a critically important context, but an anomaly in Cuba and in the Caribbean, presenting a unique set of challenges which come with any

metropolis. Too often, Havana becomes a stand-in for Cuba as a whole.

Limonar, then, is more emblematic of the challenges Cuba in terms of size at 25,000 population, its location slightly inland, but most importantly in terms of its narrative. Once covered in hardwood tropical forest harvested for Spanish ships, then sown in sugarcane, with road and rail networks stretched out to meet it, how might we recast Limonar to become a productive landscape of a very different sort?

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1.00. PRELUDIO - ELENCO DE PERSONAJES PRELUDE - THE CAST OF CHARACTERS After the Special Period, it was a matter of urgency. Since we were importing more than 80% of food consumed by Cubans. We had to begin to produce our own food.

In Milwaukee and now Chicago, I’ve seen firsthand how organic urban agriculture can not only make a difference with food sovereignty, but in people’s lives.

After the collapse of sugar, then what?

We did this through organic farming practices.

When you see someone put their hands in that soil, you see the change in their eyes... and their attitude towards food.

The goal is not to produce the most of a single crop for export, relying on industrial inputs (petrochemical-based fertilizers and pesticides) and agricultural methods, but to use symbiotic and biodiverse mixtures of crops with readily available inputs (compost, beneficial insects as pest defenses) and time-tested methods (crop rotation, interplanting).

I wish I could say we could feed all of Cuba this way, but what we can say is that we have improved the diet of Cubans.

The use of chemicals is inevitable. The chemists are going to return. But what we have to know is to what extent, use as little as possible, and continue to focus on organic agriculture.

Miguel Salcines, Organoponico Vivaro Alamar 32

Agroecology is as revolutionary as the Revolution, but totally different in ethos.

This brings the production of food closer to the scale of the individual and out of the hands of corporations.

Will Allen, urban farmer, Growing Power (USA)

Fernando Funes-Monzote, agronomist, Finca Marta

In southeast Cuba, Dalhousie University partnered not only with CITMA for coastal zone management issues, but with INIFAT as well to study practices further inland, as agricultural practices also affect the coast.

This relationship is further institutionalized at the local and regional levels by working with University of Oriente.

I’m a little skeptical.

But, we’ve seen great successes in the shift away from industrial agriculture during the Special Period.

So... we’ll see.

This is not the way we would’ve done it 10 or even 5 years ago, but since we have the capacity to partner internally between ministries, this local pilot project has the potential to influence the approach taken at the national level, but based on research in very specific places in Cuba.

So, this is why we’re trying it in Matanzas province.

So, we’re excited to see what new things they will be trying in Limonar.

Aldo Chircop, Marine Affairs Program Marine & Environmental Law Institute, Dalhousie University

An integrated approach is critical.

Juan Soles, agronomist, Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG)

Omar Cantillo Ferreiro, environmental engineer Minstry of Environment (CITMA) 33

When we first heard about Limonar, we were totally up for the challenge. Normally, we are focused on Havana, so a very urbanized area, but this was an exciting moment to rethink what urban and landscape could mean.

Orlando Inclàn, architect, habana[re]generación 34

I’ve worked now with Claudia for a year during the planning stages. I’ll be interested to see how things happen.

As an architect in Cuba, landscape is not often in our purview because landscape architecture is not a discipline in the university.

Normally, monitoring and evaluations are very straightforward: you meet the regulation, or you don’t. This has been an oppotunity to test new things. It has potential to influence policy, which does not normally happen.

But, Limonar presents some fascinating questions.

Is this: The urbanization of a rural area by living systems?

The ruralization of an urban area by living systems?

Marta Abreu, Chief Inspector CITMA, Matanzas municipal

Claudia Castillo, architect, habana[re]generación eración

1.01. EL ESCENARIO THE STAGE

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First came sugar, then came the town.

Sugar became a tool used to divide the land, and its people.

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But the land is resisting, and with it, the people of Cuba.

dialogues that never existed, such as in the case of the sugar mill - once the raison d’ etre for the town - the landscape rises to (re)connect the unused shed with the baseball field, linking two things that had no business being linked previously.

A continuous band weaves through the town of Limonar, Cuba.

Sometimes, it rises to offer a vantage point. Sometimes, it falls to hold water during hurricane season, letting it run towards its new purpose - nourishing the places where vegetables and fruits grow, no longer relegated to the ‘edges’ of town. Sometimes the band links the spaces between buildings. Sometimes, it even ‘invades’ the buildings themselves, bringing them back into dialogue with each other, or inducing

But, most importantly, the band brings people into dialogue with each other and the land. Rather than a site/sites of extraction and exploitation, the landscape has become become a framework for production of a different kind and on a different scale. Moments, instances, excuses to linger in places that were never places become the norm, a framework for dialogues of various kinds, within a new regime: a community of design.

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1.01.2: Strategic plan sketch 37

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1.01.3: Strategic plan sketch.

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‘The Bow’

Calle Real (‘The Arrow’)

1.01.6: Axonometric sketch from southeast showing the curved street of ‘The Bow’ and the axis of Royal Street / Calle Real (‘The Arrow’).

1.01.5: Aerial perspective from northwest.

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1.4A-A 1.4A-A

1.4.3-1.4.5: Views of houses along Calle Real.

1.4.6-1.4.8: Views of typical Spanish colonial-era houses.

1.4.2 Plan of typical colonial blocks showing area and percentage of open space.

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1.4. JARDINES DEL PÁTIO COURTYARD GARDENS ES

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Actors at national, regional, and local levels might play influencing roles, but those on the ground will likely foster the real connections, the truly active any moving parts of any models.

As the landscaped band transitions from ‘The Arrow’ to ‘The Bow’, disciplinary boundaries begin to overlap, bringing agroecologist and architect into dialogue.

1.4.9: Longitudinal section 1.4A-A through colonial block.

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1.5. INGENIO DE AZUCAR REPROGRAMADO ‘REPROGRAMMED’ SUGAR MILL

1.5.1: Section at intersection of ‘Bow’ and ‘Arrow’

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1.5.2: Section at sugar mill and baseball field, showing new bermed landscape forming bleachers around field.

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1.5.4: View from sugar mill shed looking east to to baseball field, after intervention, showing new connection to field, agricultural point of sale and bleacher-berm beyond.

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Peak rainfall in Limonar occurs in October, during the June to December hurricane season, which misses the November to April baseball season (opposite the April to September season in the PEA K States R AI N FALL United (Fig. 1.5.9). Might there be a better seasonal use for 26,000 sf (.6 acres) of lawn grass struggling during the summer heat (Figs 1.5.10-12)?

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1.5.9: Peak rainfall in Limonar

1.5.12 AUGUST

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1.6. CAMPO DE SUEÑOS FIELD OF DREAMS

1.6.1: Edible lawn, a mix of small, easily harvested food crops, requiring fewer inputs (fertilizer, water) than standard lawn grass.

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...and in the off-season, you harvest this ‘edible lawn’?

How did people accept it?

And production levels?

Absolutely!

We go straight to El Caney next door and use it for community picnics. Or take it to the Punta de Venta.

It was unexpected to many people at first. In other countries, you would never do this because of the pesticides, of course, pero en Cuba...

Respectable.

Enough for $4,500 in monthly sales, 75% of that to tourism.

There are 60 towns in Cuba with a population over 20,000 - that’s 183 urban acres (75 hectares).

But the real point is to challenge how - and where people think food can be produced.

1.6.0 BASEBALL OUTFIELD CESPED (GRASS) CLOVER MINT LETTUCE ARUGULA CARROT DILL

1.6.2: View from pitcher’s mound west towards sugar mill sheds, after intervention.

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1.7. RECOLONIZACIÓN AGRÍCOLA AGRICULTURAL RECOLONIZATION At the edges of town and fields, dialogues in - and on - the land become the most transformative.

A recolonization is occurring, a reconception of what landscapes of production can mean, where design has become the convening force.

the citrus grove (1.7.A-D), but rather than in the service of a single crop - sugar - agroecological principles such as intercropping, crop rotation, nutrient-banking and composting are deployed, not at the scale of the circumference of the pivot irrigator or the span of the combine tractor, but at the scale of the courtyard gardens.

‘Redevelopment’ or recolonization marches northward and eastward from

The measure of land becomes that, once again, of the human reach.

1.7.A: View of citrus grove and agricultural fields, before intervention.

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So, Miguel, what’s new here?

Livestock?

Like a holiday for pigs?

The luckier worms are over in vermicomposting!

1.7.0 GROVE CHICKEN PIGS TURKEY

GRAZER TILLER GRAZER

CITRUS AVOCADO PLANTAIN SABICÚ

Citrus trees were planted at the edge of town in the ‘90’s. A disease hit Cuba in the 2000’s. Some have survived, but their days are numbered, so we decided to try introducing small livestock grazing in the understory as we start new fruit and hardwood trees to replace the citrus.

A few locals owned pigs, so we decided to try them to till the soil under the citrus trees for a short time.

Haha! I guess so. They tear up young trees, so we have to protect the saplings in tubes. Fowl is ok, though, for natural pest control.

FRUIT FRUIT FRUIT HARDWOOD

1.7.B: View of citrus grove and agricultural fields, before intervention.

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1.7.0 GROVE CITRUS AVOCADO PLANTAIN SABICÚ MAHOGANY OAK

FRUIT CROP FRUIT CROP FRUIT CROP HARDWOOD HARDWOOD HARDWOOD

1.7.C: View of citrus grove and agricultural fields, after Phase 1 intervention.

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1.7.1A AG RECOLONIZATION (PH. 1A) CORN/MAIZE VEGETABLE CROP CASSAVA VEGETABLE CROP PUMPKIN VEGETABLE CROP TARO VEGETABLE CROP BONIATO (SWEET POTATO)VEGETABLE CROP COWPEA VEGETABLE (FALL)

1.7.1B AG RECOLONIZATION (PH. 1B) CLOVER GREEN MANURE ALFALFA GREEN MANURE, COVER CROP ARUGULA VEGETABLE CROP CARROT VEGETABLE CROP LETTUCE VEGETABLE CROP MINT, SPINACH, CHARD, KALE, TURNIP, DILL

This place used to be visted only by the Minstry of Sugar. We’ll need to get Ministry of Forestry out here now.

1.7.0 GROVE AVOCADO PLANTAIN SABICÚ MAHOGANY OAK

1.7.1A AG RECOLONIZATION (PH. 1A) 1.7.1B AG RECOLONIZATION (PH. 1B) CORN/MAIZE VEGETABLE CROP FRUIT FRUIT CROP AVOCADO CASSAVA VEGETABLE CROP FRUIT FRUIT CROP PLANTAIN VEGETABLE CROP HARDWOOD PUMPKIN HARDWOOD SABICÚ TARO VEGETABLE CROP HARDWOOD BONIATO (SWEET POTATO)VEGETABLE CROP HARDWOOD COWPEA VEGETABLE (FALL)

1.7.2A,B AG RECOLONIZATION (PH. 2A, 2B) CLOVER GREEN MANURE ALFALFA GREEN MANURE, COVER CROP ARUGULA VEGETABLE CROP CARROT VEGETABLE CROP LETTUCE VEGETABLE CROP MINT, SPINACH, CHARD, KALE, TURNIP

1.7.D: View of citrus grove and agricultural fields, after Phase 2 intervention.

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INTERVENCIÓN 2: MATANZAS HOSPEDAR LA GOTA DE AGUA HOSTING THE RAINDROP

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Matanzas, birthplace of poets and musical and dance forms such as rumba is Cuba’s fifth largest city, seat of the province of the same name lies 90 miles south of Key West.

The city lies around the Bay of Matanzas, and at the confluence of two rivers - the Yumurí and the San Juan, and bounded by a third - the Canímar. Matanzas reveals both its Spanish colonial heritage in the dense urban blocks of Pueblo Viejo, similar to those of Limonar, as well as the post-Haitian slave rebellion French roots of the Versailles neighborhood. Dividing them is the Yumurí, subject

to periodic flooding during hurricane season on the river valley slopes of which much of the older city is built densely, offering little opportunity for the current model of wholesale relocation (see p. 14), especially for temporary uses such as seasonal fishing villages. However, the often overlooked actor is that of rain, left to make its way downward, contributing to flood conditions.

As Limonar was used to push for a reconception of productive landscapes, might the Matanzas intervention simulatneously critique reacomodación, or relocation, and the dismissal of rainwater as waste? Might a dialogue convened by design find new ways to treat the raindrop, and those in its path?

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2.2. INCLINAR Y SOSTENER INCLINE AND SUSTAIN Though moderately sloped (3.8% average), opportunity still exists to think upstream and uphill, holding water before it reaches the rivers.

2.2.1: West-east section/plan at Calle 73 76

2.2.2-5: Sloped streets and periodic flooding during rain events in Pueblo Viejo, Matanzas

TREE PIT SOIL DE-COMPACTION SOAK PIT FRENCH DRAIN FRENCH DRAIN (CHANNEL) PERVIOUS PATIO PAVING

As in Limonar along Calle Real, Spanish colonial-era blocks in Pueblo Viejo, Matanzas are built densely, but housing typologies and interior block open spaces allow for some block-scale water capture.

2.2.6: Rainwater/stormwater capture strategy, block scale 77

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HAMMOCK THE BISCAYNE BAY REGION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO EFFECT POSITIVE CHANGE IN ITS POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM AQUEOUS TERRAIN INTO HIGHER, DRIER LAND. USING THE TOOLS AND LANGUAGE OF EARLY MIAMI BEACH DEVELOPMENT, FUTURE URBAN DEVELOPEMENT CAN ONCE AGAIN RELY UPON BUILDING GROUNDS IN WATER.

Fig. 1. Tree island, Everglades.

A. Island urbanism Islands are constructed, whether by ‘natural’ forces, people, or some combination.

Hammocks – hummocks, or tree islands – demonstrate two interlocking general characteristics of islands which may be of great importance to Miami Beach, a place driven – and defined – by its relationship to water, and to coasts: 1) their dynamism, and 2) the capacity for fostering increasing density and diversity through the mediation of land and water.

We might term this island urbanism.

In nature, very little persists in a static state.

The propagation of hammocks – as with other robust ecosystems – depends less on the presence of individual species and more on the interplay of forces over varying scales of time.

Tree islands change in form and number and/or 2

type of species they support (and of which they are comprised) in response to fluctuations in nutrient levels and the flow, salinity, and quantity of water present. Being situated on Biscayne Bay, the latter becomes especially pertinent.

Some high canopy species – such as oaks, red maple, or even highly-valued mahogany – may find fertile higher ground which once was fluid and inhospitable. 1 In cypress swamps, soil tends to be trapped and held around the “knees” over the roots, as it does among the buttressing roots of mangroves – indigenous to Biscayne Bay – where new ground is ‘made’.

As botanist Peter del Tredici might say, “plants know what’s up” concerning how species might adapt to a future with more precipitation and greater fluctuations in temperature. Applying this to a changing Biscayne Bay, as we will see, could make things even more interesting.

Fig. 2: Shell spoil piles, Calusa tribe, Everglades.

Human history abounds with the shaping of aqueous terrain to become land in similar fashion to that of tree islands. Human intervention in the form of prehistoric trash mounds and shell spoil piles has even been thought to extend the reach of tree islands exemplified by the living patterns of indigenous peoples such as the Calusa (southwest Florida) in the Everglades,2, 3 Tequesta [Fig. 2] (southeast Florida), and Seminole (south Florida).

This direct modification of islands is a language which Miami Beach’s early movers and shakers would understand perfectly. Originally shaped capitalize on the conditions of climate for agricultural production, workers were directed to hack, fill, and level the Miami Beach peninsula.

The desire to be on or near the water in an ideal climate drove the cutting of channels and construction of islands in Biscayne Bay during the 1920s-30s. [Fig. 3]

structure for development, much like that of the orthogonal Jeffersonian survey grid. In cities like Boston and Mumbai, this landmaking has extended the reaches of the city, knitting together land and water, extending the grid.

Is this the city reaching out into the water? Or, the water claiming land?

This island urbanism – the increasing concentration of diversity of life where land and water mingle – happens at scales small, intermediate, and large.

Why not use the tools and language of early Miami Beach development as we project forward?

Tree islands form, essentially, a field, an infra3

Fig. 4: North Biscayne Bay – inputs and flows.

B. Laguna Vizcaya Throughout anthropological and biological history, then, the following strategies for dealing with an excess of water persist: 1) Change land by going out (‘make’ land) 2) Change land by going up (raise ground) 3) Build high 4) Live on the water 5) Control the water 6) Relocate, or ‘retreat’ We consider the first three – on the site of Biscayne Bay – in order to make the fourth viable again and to avoid the need to resort to the sixth.

Over the last century, northern Biscayne Bay – somewhat distinct from its larger southern portion – has been transformed by changes to hydrology from a subtropical estuary to an estuarine lagoon (which I coin ‘Laguna Vizcaya’) “with salinity, circulation, and water quality that

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varies and is dependent on freshwater flow, wind driven circulation, and ocean exchange.” 4 Coastal rivers and tidal creeks traversing Miami-Dade County have been eliminated or channelized, changing the pattern from distributed sheet flows and gradual inputs to ‘flashier’, intense discharge point sources of freshwater, where salinity drops sharply. Marine conditions are complicated by the new connections to the Atlantic Ocean: Haulover Cut to the north and Government Cut (1920) to the south, introducing ocean mixing and inlet sedimentation [Fig. 4].

Also, the fanciful lozenge-shaped confections of constructed land – or ‘made land’ to borrow Boston historian Nancy Seashole’s term5 - such as the Venetian Islands, Star Island, and Belle Island cluttered north Biscayne Bay in the 20th century, further altering its ability to flush and recharge as bodies of water normally do.

Dodge Island, constructed in 1935 from dredge spoil, location for the Port of Miami, has clearly

Fig. 5.: Forces and flows within - and adjoining - Biscayne Bay: grounds for possibility.

impacted North Biscayne Bay’s formerly more open access to the sea, further modified by dredging along Government Cut. Despite their 20th century impacts upon the Bay, such an island urbanism has the potential to effect positive change in the Biscayne Bay region.

First and foremost – and simply put – there is the possibility of more places to build. Rather than uniformly out-of-scale level of development, or an uncoordinated speculation as seen in the early 20th century which might further negatively impact the Bay, development could be targeted to a mix of greater densification and temporal uses – both vertically and horizontally.

Where low-lying land on existing islands is dominated by low-rise private development, a shift to multistory buildings could be encouraged.

Where the ground floors of existing buildings will be challenged by rising waters, wet- and dry-floodproofing could explored, with vertical expansion to upper floors to compensate.

Second, the Bay as an urbanizable field [Fig. 5] introduces further possibility for reducing vulnerability and increasing robustness. The opportunity for gradients of water – fresh, brackish, saline – across the Bay surface could address the effects of changes in salinity without relying on a regime of pumping and importing freshwater. New rainwater capture/recapture capacity could further extend water security. The impact of hurricanes and the effects of flooding from storm surges and extreme rain events might be lessened by decentralizing urban population centers and redistributing over a more pervious area suited to periodic inundation.

In drawing on past ecologies, then, we have identified a potential surface for future opera6 tion: the water.

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Fig. 6.: Big Mac: linking public spaces from Miami to Miami Beach along the Macarthur Causeway.

C. Projection: The Big Mac The species found on tree islands colonize where the conditions are most favorable, but, to some extent, they also create those conditions.

Two further lessons from the tree island playbook might be considered: connect the dots, and find the low-hanging fruit.

Modifying some of the existing linkages from/to Miami could introduce new public space while introducing multimodality to evacuation routes, linking to existing public spaces 7 [Figs. 6-9].

Construction along Miami Beach’s west coast and Alton Road tends to already have a higher ground floor. If both the existing causeway and future construction were raised (and/or existing construction retrofitted), extending southeastward to South Pointe Park, a modest-height multipurpose levee would create new linkages around South Beach all the way to Miami, while introducing the possibility of additional flooding

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control measures - a tidal barrage - for tidal surges during the most acute times. While infiltration through karstic limestone still must be accounted for, and keeping the water out will never be fully viable, requiring pumps in the immediate future, the real objective is to draw people closer to the water – or at the very least, closer to the idea of not needing to keep it out.

Because the two bridges connecting the Macarthur Causeway to the mainland already have high clearances (65’ and 45’, respectively), they are good candidates for weathering sea level rise. What if the existing roadbed were retained, and light rail built over top?

What if pedestrians and bikers - who currently take their life into their hands - had dedicated widened paths all the way from Lummus Park to Bicentennial Park in Miami?

What if a network of floating paths at varying scales – to which anyone who sails, boats, or

Fig. 7.: Looking southwest along Biscayne Bay Path from 592 W Ave. towards a multi-tied Macarthur Causeway.

does most anything on the water is already accustomed – could create not only a more robust balance between traditional evacuation routes and means for sheltering-in-place, but new paths to the water?

Might this spur other possible uses for the Bay: short-term residential and seasonal tourist accommodation, scientific research in the form of floating research stations and in-situ seabed/ lagoon-bed research, and even new industries – fisheries, aquaculture, biomass energy, and algal biofuels? 8 Thus, Big Mac might be seen as the first armature along which a third lesson of tree islands might be deployed, encouraging a more nuanced interaction with the interface of land and sea, and preparing - as Dilip da Cunha might say – us to build (once again) upon the ground of water.

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Fig. 8.: Above: Looking west at 10th Ave. along a raised Biscayne Bay Path - where a seawall once stood.

Fig. 9.: Below: High Life on the ‘Low Line’: Light rail travels safely above, out of reach of rising waters, as the Venetian Causeway ‘returns’ to nature, giving pedestrians new access to the interface of land and sea.

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No#Building#is#an#Island!

Introduction* The$ground$on$which$the$Prince$Building$now$stands$was$once$marshland,$an$ecosystem$rich$in$ diversity$and$productivity.$The$marsh$was$filled$first$with$refuse,$and$later$with$rubble$and$soil$in$the$late$ 19th$century,$part$of$Boston’s$ever?expanding$land$mass.$$The$land$became$an$extension$of$a$ neighborhood$admired$for$its$openness$to$successive$waves$of$immigrants.$$The$North$End’s$sociability,$ culture,$and$architecture$were$immortalized$by$Jane$Jacobs$in$The$Death$And$Life$of$Great$American$ Cities,$who$celebrated$the$“general$street$atmosphere$of$buoyancy,$friendliness$and$good$health.”$ However,$with$looming$threats$of$climate$change$and$sea$level$rise,$the$future$of$the$Prince$Building$and$ the$North$End$are$uncertain.$By$2100,$daily$tides$will$reach$Commercial$Street.$Boston’s$filled$coastal$ areas$face$two$distinct$possible$futures:$steeply$rising$costs$and$ever?greater$exclusivity$in$pockets$with$ the$means$to$adapt,$and$decaying$or$abandoned$buildings$and$infrastructure$in$areas$with$fewer$ resources.$ We$propose$a$different$future:$a$coordinated$set$of$public$actions$at$the$city$and$state$level$–$in$ communication,$regulation,$financing$and$design$–$will$help$guide$and$incentivize$the$resilience$of$ individual$properties.$$Resilience,$as$defined$by$the$Rockefeller$Foundation,$is$“the$capacity$of$ individuals,$communities$and$systems$to$survive,$adapt,$and$grow$in$the$face$of$stress$and$shocks,$and$ even$transform$when$conditions$require$it.”$Resilience$can$be$seeded$in$the$Prince$Building$and$others$ throughout$Boston’s$waterfront,$and$gradually$grow$towards$neighborhoods$that$can$preserve$their$ social$vitality$and$built$history$under$changing$environmental$conditions.$$ Our$intervention$requires$major$policy$changes$occurring$progressively$over$time.$Accordingly,$ those$that$occur$closer$to$the$present$are$more$detailed,$while$actions$further$in$the$future$are$more$ speculative$and$would$be$subject$to$revision$as$climate$predictions$improve,$socioeconomic$forces$shift,$ and$an$uncertain$future$reveals$itself.$Our$proposal$seeks$to$strengthen$Boston’s$neighborhoods$by$ building$upon$a$solid$foundation$of$equity.$

Action*1:*Resilience*Report*Card* A$critical$first$step$towards$building$a$more$resilient$Boston$is$to$acknowledge$risk$and$explain$ its$implications.$Fragmented$ownership,$varying$site$conditions,$and$typological$variety$make$building? level$risk$assessments$a$complicated$task.$Modeled$off$of$Boston’s$Building$Energy$Reporting$and$ Disclosure$Ordinance,$we$propose$a$mandatory$inspection$and$Resilience$Report$Card$for$every$building$ in$Boston’s$500?year$flood$zone.1$This$will$educate$owners,$landlords$and$tenants$of$their$long?term$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 1

$We$choose$the$FEMA$500?year$flood$zone$as$the$regulatory$boundary$for$our$actions$because$FEMA$Flood$ Insurance$Rate$Maps$only$take$historical$flooding$into$account;$given$increased$precipitation$and$sea$level$rise,$the$ current$500?year$flood$zone$is$on$its$way$to$becoming$the$actual$100?year$flood$zone.$Although$the$Resilience$ Report$Card$covers$non?flood$related$risks,$flooding$presents$the$most$dire$hazard,$and$buildings$in$the$flood$zone$ are$therefore$the$primary$targets$of$this$policy.$

risks,$and$will$also$allow$public$officials$to$map$risk$citywide.$$Publicly$accessible$data$and$mandatory$ disclosures$to$potential$renters$and$homebuyers$will$introduce$transparency$and$essentially$create$a$ market$for$resilience.$A$high$resilience$score$will$be$awarded$with$a$decorative$plaque$to$proudly$display$ on$a$building.$$ Buildings$will$be$scored$on$three$major$categories$–$flood$resilience,$building$resilience$post? event,$and$building$resilience$in$relation$to$climactic$changes.$Within$each$category,$points$are$awarded$ to$buildings$that$meet$or$exceed$specific$criteria.$Flood$resilience$evaluates$a$building’s$lowest$occupied$ floor$elevation$relative$to$the$base$flood$elevation$(BFE);$floor$area$and$use$below$the$BFE;$and$value$of$ mechanical$equipment$below$the$BFE.$Post?event$resilience$considers$emergency$egress,$passive$ systems,$and$structural$integrity$following$flooding.$Climactic$building$resilience$assesses$systems$for$ water$use$reduction,$heat$reduction,$and$on?site$energy$production.$ The$Report$Card$is$not$just$evaluative,$however$–$it$includes$specific$advice$on$actions$that$can$ make$a$building$more$resilient.$General$recommendations$–$wet$floodproofing,$dry$floodproofing,$ demolition,$etc.$–$are$based$on$the$building’s$foundation$material$and$type,$first$floor$use,$and$ relationship$between$first$occupied$floor$and$BFE.$For$areas$in$which$a$building$scores$poorly,$mitigating$ actions$are$listed$along$with$approximate$costs$and$relevant$loans$and$grants$for$which$the$building$ would$be$eligible.$In$addition,$information$is$gathered$that$indicates$the$building’s$ability$to$build$ additional$floors$if$it$qualifies$for$a$future$density$bonus$as$a$component$of$vertical$retreat,$as$described$ below.$ Report$Cards$will$catalyze$a$public$conversation$that$will$be$encouraged$by$the$City$through$ public$art,$interactive$installations,$and$community?wide$activities.$By$bringing$long?timescale,$abstract$ ecological$issues$to$a$tangible$level,$conversation$can$be$encouraged$in$an$engaging$and$playful$way.$ Monthly$artists?in?residence,$in$coordination$with$schools$and$institutions,$will$bring$the$issues$to$life$for$ Bostonians$to$engage$with$and$contribute$to.$

Action*2:**Mandatory*Insurance*and*Resilience*Retrofits* The$next$policy$action$is$for$Massachusetts$to$require$flood$insurance$for$all$buildings$in$the$ revised$500?year$flood$zone,$going$beyond$the$National$Flood$Insurance$Program’s$(NFIP)$mandate$for$ buildings$in$the$100?year$zone$with$federally$backed$mortgages.$This$recommendation$takes$inspiration$ from$the$2006$reforms$to$the$health$insurance$market$in$Massachusetts,$which$required$all$residents$to$ purchase$health$insurance.$Mandatory$flood$insurance$will$be$based$on$predictive$mapping$that$ accounts$for$sea$level$rise$and$increased$storm$activity,$unlike$FEMA$maps$that$look$at$historic$trends,$ and$will$require$coverage$for$the$full$expected$loss$from$flooding,$above$the$$500,000$NFIP$coverage$ limit.$$A$mandate$is$necessary$to$correct$for$the$current$duration$mismatch:$building$owners$often$have$ ownership$time$horizons$that$are$shorter$than$the$time$horizon$in$which$a$hazard$is$likely$to$occur2.$ However,$when$rare$events$do$occur,$the$public$absorbs$the$cost$for$repairing$the$underinsured$ building,$through$federal$post?disaster$funds$and$long?lasting$disruptions$for$individuals$and$ neighborhoods.$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 2

$E.g.,$a$building$owner$who$plans$to$sell$in$five$years$would$likely$not,$unless$otherwise$forced$to,$mitigate$against$ a$one?in?fifty$year$event.$

$ The$mandatory$insurance$program,$building$on$the$work$done$in$the$Report$Card,$will$for$each$building$ estimate:$ • The$market$value$of$the$building$ • The$net$present$value$(NPV)3$of$future$flood$damage$to$the$building,$incorporating$the$most$ recent$probabilistic$climate$models$$ • The$cost,$in$present$dollars,$to$mitigate$that$damage.$ $ For$each$building,$an$annual$premium$will$be$calculated$to$cover$all$expected$losses$and$overhead.$Once$ this$rate$is$assessed,$the$building$owner$will$have$several$options4:$ $ 1. Resilience(Retrofits:(If$the$cost$to$physically$mitigate$the$risk$–$i.e.$make$capital$improvements$ to$the$building$to$reduce$the$risk$profile$–$is$less$than$the$NPV$of$future$damage,$then$it$makes$ sense$to$physically$mitigate$the$risk.$The$state,$working$with$a$designated$reinsurer,$will$give$a$ Resilience$Loan$to$the$building$owner$to$perform$the$mitigation.$After$the$retrofit,$the$insurance$ premium$will$be$very$low,$and$the$premium$plus$debt$service$on$the$loan$will$be$set$equal$to$the$ insurance$premium$that$the$building$owner$would$have$paid$had$she$not$retrofitted.$These$ payments$though,$instead$of$being$paid$in$perpetuity$to$financially$mitigate$the$risk$(i.e.$through$ insurance),$will$only$be$paid$until$they$pay$off$the$value$of$the$loan.$The$low?interest$loan$will$be$ fully$amortizing,$allowing$it$to$be$fixed$rate$and$fixed$payment,$and$will$be$collateralized$by$the$ building$itself.$Once$the$loan$is$paid$off,$the$owner$is$left$with$a$resilient$building$and$low$flood$ insurance$premium.$ $ 2. Insure:$If$the$cost$to$physically$mitigate$is$greater$than$the$NPV$of$damage,$then$physical$ mitigation$does$not$make$sense.$Instead,$the$risk$will$be$financially$mitigated$through$the$ payment$of$the$insurance$premium.$$In$the$event$of$a$disaster,$the$insurer$or$reinsurer$will$be$ able$to$pay$to$fix$the$damage$to$the$property.$ $$ 3. Waivers:($ Finally,$if$the$NPV$of$damage$is$greater$than$the$value$of$the$entire$building$–$which$may$occur$ in$the$case$of$older$and$smaller$buildings$–$then$it$does$not$make$sense$to$insure$against$ damage,$and$the$building$owner$may$obtain$a$flood$insurance$waiver.$Instead,$all$post?disaster$ funds$for$the$property,$such$as$FEMA$Hazard$Mitigation$Grants$or$Community$Development$ Block$Grants$would$go$towards$rebuilding$to$current$resilient$standards,$or$relocation.$$ $

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 3 4

$Details$for$calculating$the$NPV$of$potential$losses$is$provided$in$Exhibit$B.$ $See$Exhibit$A$for$sample$retrofit$and$insurance$calculations.$

Resilience*Tax*Credits/Surcharge* Just$as$Mayor$Marty$Walsh$has$made$social$equity$the$focus$of$Boston’s$Resilience$agenda,$we$ recognize$that$insurance$mandates$can$represent$an$economic$hardship$for$building$owners$and$ tenants.$Owners$who$can$prove$hardship$will$receive$a$property$tax$credit,$paid$on$a$sliding$scale$based$ on$need,$to$offset$their$increased$insurance$or$Resilience$Loan$payments.$Landlords$with$low?$or$middle? income$tenants,$or$small$businesses,$can$also$receive$this$property$tax$credit$so$that$they$do$not$need$to$ raise$rents.$In$this$sense,$the$credit$functions$like$a$tenant?based$section$8$voucher$that$allows$residents$ to$stay$in$their$homes.$ $ The$property$tax$credits$can$be$funded$by$a$small$property$tax$surcharge$for$all$property$owners$ whose$property$value$is$above$a$certain$cap.$This$is$fair$on$both$equity$and$economic$grounds.$On$equity$ grounds,$the$burden$is$being$placed$on$those$most$able$to$handle$it.$On$economic$grounds,$the$ continued$viability$of$the$city$of$Boston,$and$the$stabilization$of$waterfront$neighborhoods,$preserve$and$ raise$property$values$city?$and$statewide.$It$thus$makes$economic$sense$for$wealthier$property$owners$ to$pay$a$small$surcharge$to$preserve$the$investments$they$have$made$in$their$properties.$

Action*3:**Boston’s*Recovery*Program* Although$we$hope$Boston$does$not$experience$its$Superstorm$Sandy$for$many$decades,$hoping$ is$not$planning.$One$of$the$most$important$lessons$from$Sandy$has$been$that$cities$need$to$work$with$ communities$to$design$their$own$recovery$plans$and$tailor$them$to$their$own$needs$and$aspirations,$ beginning$a$robust$public$dialogue$long$before$a$disaster.$Acknowledging$this$need$for$citizen$ engagement,$we$propose$the$following$policy$measures$in$the$event$of$a$major$flooding$disaster$in$ Boston.$$ When$a$major$storm$does$occur,$buildings$that$undertook$resilience$retrofits$should$not$suffer$ much$damage$or$require$much$federal$post?disaster$relief.$However,$buildings$that$fell$into$categories$ two$and$three$in$the$above$insurance$program,$and$thus$did$not$retrofit,$will$experience$a$great$deal$of$ damage$and$be$in$need$of$repair.$The$City$of$Boston$will$change$its$building$code$to$require$that$all$ affected$buildings$–$not$only$those$that$were$substantially$damaged$–$be$wet$floodproofed$to$the$ projected$flood$level$of$the$last$year$of$the$building’s$projected$life$span,$taking$climate$change$ projections$into$account.$$In$addition,$Chapter$91,$The$Massachusetts$Public$Waterfront$Act,$can$be$ expanded$to$require$use$conversions$of$all$space$at$risk$of$flooding$to$uses$that$can$withstand$flooding.$$ This$will$of$course$be$expensive,$but$for$buildings$that$were$financially$mitigating$their$risks,$this$new$ construction$can$be$largely$paid$out$of$funds$from$their$insurance$policies.$$ For$any$remainder,$and$to$cover$those$buildings$that$were$in$the$third$category$of$our$insurance$ program,$building$owners$will$have$two$options.$The$first$is$to$rebuild$to$a$more$resilient$level$by$ leveraging$the$vast$amount$of$federal$dollars$that$will$likely$come$after$a$disaster5.$Secondly,$the$city$can$ offer$a$density$bonus$to$provide$building$owners$with$an$amount$of$capitalized$rent$equal$or$greater$ than$the$cost$of$reconstructing$their$buildings$to$the$new$standards,$net$of$any$federal$dollars$or$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 5

$E.g.,$regions$affected$by$Superstorm$Sandy$received$$60$billion$in$federal$assistance.$

insurance$funds$received.$$Additional$floor$area$can$be$built$on?site$if$conditions$allow,$or$transferred$to$ sites$identified$through$a$City?led$planning$process.6$

Action*5:**A*new*street*life*for*the*North*End* Over$the$course$of$the$next$century,$our$proposal$envisions$a$gradual$strengthening$of$existing$ buildings$against$climate$change$threats,$as$well$as$new$development$built$to$meet$new$environmental$ conditions.$However,$as$street?level$flooding$becomes$a$common$occurrence,$buildings$move$typical$ ground$floor$uses$–$retail,$entrances,$and$lobbies$–$up$one$story$in$vertical$retreat.$In$concert$with$ building?level$adaptation,$the$city$reconfigures$public$spaces$and$infrastructure$at$the$present?day$ second$story$elevation.$The$new$North$End$public$realm$preserves$the$opportunities$for$spontaneous$ interaction$that$are$key$to$healthy$neighborhoods,$while$embracing$a$more$intimate$connection$to$an$ aquatic$ecosystem.$Flooding,$vertical$retreat,$and$transformation$begin$closest$to$the$harbor,$but$slowly$ move$inland$as$the$sea$rises$and$reclaims$land.$ Our$speculative$design$for$this$phase$proposes$elevated$granite$sidewalks$that$encase$buildings,$ protecting$their$foundations$and$building$systems.$$Streets$are$excavated$to$create$ecologically$ productive$marshlands.$The$high$tide$depth$in$2100$creates$an$ideal$level$for$situating$a$saltwater$marsh$ with$Spartina$patens$and$Spartina$alternifolia.$Dredging$a$circular$channel$through$the$streets$promotes$ saltwater$flow$through$the$marsh.7$Emergency$vehicle$access$is$maintained$through$short$bridges$ spanning$from$the$mainland,$or$through$increased$reliance$on$water?based$craft.$ The$ecological$and$social$benefits$of$embracing$saltwater$marshes$are$substantial.$Pollution$ control$is$improved$as$biofiltration$of$rainwater$occurs$in$roots$and$soils.$Public$shore$access$is$ enhanced$and$barriers$between$people$and$nature$are$removed$as$the$existing$Harborwalk$system$is$ strengthened$through$connections$to$a$new$boardwalk.$Creating$beautiful$environments$that$connect$ people$to$natural$rhythms$not$only$improves$quality$of$life,$but$can$also$foster$greater$environmental$ empathy$and$action.$Tidal$marshes$connect$residents$and$visitors$to$the$daily$rhythm$of$the$tides,$the$ lunar$cycle$of$bi?monthly$high$tides,$and$the$annual$cycles$of$birds,$wildlife,$and$vegetation.$Educational$ opportunities$are$created$around$the$estuary’s$diverse$ecology,$with$opportunities$including$outdoor$ classrooms$for$public$schools,$research$laboratories,$and$public$programs.$$ The$investment$in$the$public$infrastructure$will$be$gradual,$driven$by$rising$sea$levels$and$public? private$coordination.$All$public$infrastructure$has$a$replacement$lifecycle;$streets$are$repaved$every$few$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 6

$As$another$benefit,$by$mandating$that$all$buildings$be$built$to$a$new$flood$proof$standard,$the$administration$of$ the$rebuilding$effort$will$be$greatly$simplified.$HUD$and$City$officials$often$go$to$great$lengths$to$determine$income$ requirements$of$recipients,$and$to$ensure$that$building$owners$are$simply$rebuilding$what$existed$before,$in$order$ to$prevent$an$unintended$windfall$for$aid$recipients.$These$concerns$both$go$away$once$we$simply$mandate$a$new$ standard$for$all$rebuilding,$thus$greatly$simplifying$and$reducing$the$cost$of$administering$the$rebuilding$effort.$ 7 $Precedents$for$this$type$of$remediation$include$Crissy$Field$by$Hargreaves$Associates$in$San$Francisco$and$Fresh$ Kills$by$James$Corner$Associates$in$Staten$Island.$Crissy$Field$is$an$excellent$example$of$what$can$be$achieved$by$ public$and$non?profit$coordination$on$coastal$historic$sites,$including$having$tens$of$thousands$of$school$children$ carry$out$the$planting$of$marsh$plants.$Our$proposal$takes$these$precedents$a$step$further,$as$something$far$more$ urban,$woven$through$a$neighborhood.$Coastal$ecologists$we$spoke$to$assured$us$that$the$North$End$context$(road$ width$and$surrounding$building$height)$provided$ample$space$and$adequate$conditions$for$a$thriving$saltwater$ marsh$habitat.$

years,$while$pipes$may$be$in$the$ground$for$a$half$a$century$or$more.$Our$proposal$is$to$periodically$ rewrite$infrastructure$guidelines$to$match$the$interventions$necessary$for$climate$resilient$ neighborhoods.$For$example,$street?to?marshland$conversions$will$be$timed$with$the$regular$street$ replacement$cycle.$The$marginal$cost$increases$will$be$significant,$though$they$will$likely$represent$a$ small$fraction$of$city$and$state$capital$transportation$maintenance$funding.$The$improvements$can$thus$ be$financed$by$the$typical$mix$of$sources$for$infrastructure$investments,$including$the$gas$tax,$municipal$ bonds,$or$District$Improvement$Financing.$In$this$way,$building$resiliently$will$be$a$gradual$process$that$ occurs$as$the$city$and$state$replace$obsolete$infrastructure.8$This$process$is$made$possible$by$creating,$ adopting$and$continually$maintaining$a$long?term$plan$for$the$neighborhood.$

Conclusion* When$disaster$strikes,$the$poor$and$the$most$vulnerable$tend$to$suffer$the$most.$The$day?to?day$ stresses$of$a$limited$housing$stock,$aging$infrastructure,$and$disruptive$weather$also$affect$us$differently$ depending$on$our$economic$and$social$situations.$Public$policies$like$those$described$above$must$be$ enacted$to$strengthen$buildings,$neighborhoods,$and$the$city$as$a$whole,$while$lessening$the$burden$on$ people$who$are$already$struggling.$$These$programs$have$the$potential$to$improve$social$and$economic$ resilience$by$reducing$risk$and$vulnerability$across$Boston,$particularly$for$homeowners$and$renters$who$ are$less$affluent.$It$should$be$understood$as$a$coordinated$effort$with$the$City’s$broader$economic,$ social,$and$land?use$policies$that$promote$equality,$since$improved$individual$capacity,$access$to$ resources,$and$community$cohesion$are$all$important$factors$that$determine$outcomes$in$individual$ neighborhoods.$$ While$our$proposal$seeks$to$preserve$the$greatest$qualities$of$Boston’s$neighborhoods,$the$city’s$ resilient$future$does$not$depend$on$protecting$the$status$quo.$The$city’s$history$is$a$source$of$pride,$ strength,$and$character,$but$Boston’s$future$depends$on$its$ability$to$adapt$and$set$collective$priorities.$ To$adapt,$Boston$must$open$opportunities$to$all$its$citizens$and$those$citizens$yet$to$come.$$ $ $

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 8

$While$in$some$cases$still$connected$to$the$grid,$buildings$are$expected$to$be$significantly$or$completely$energy$ self?sufficient,$through$a$combination$of$solar,$wind,$and$tidal$power.$

HAITI 2010-2013 adapt

adaptive reuse aid

capacity-build cities conserve context demolition

developing nation displaced diverse educate engage

environment foster housing home

humanitarian design

impact integrate job lead mentor mitigate

training

multidisciplinary preserve relocate respond retrofit nonprofit outreach partner

permanent post-disaster reclaim reconstruct redevelop repurpose resilience stewardship strengthen temporary transition underserved urban urbanism

A Haitian mason applies ‘crepissage and enduissage’, or plaster finish, to the news walls of a seismically reinforced medical clinic, 2011.

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Kay Solid/Kay Kat Fanmi Port-au-Prince, 2011-2013

Getting people back to safe homes following the January 12,

2010 earthquake in Haiti required rethinking traditional models for the design and delivery of housing by aid agencies.

Kay Solid takes design cues from throughout the Caribbean - New Orleans, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other cities in Haiti adapting passive cooling strategies and water conservation to a dense, urban context. Full-height openings and open floor plans allow for ample opportunities for ventilation as well as flexibility for customization by residents (i.e. subdivison for small businesses, rental spaces). Economy of material and simplicity of construction was achieved through the elimination of lintels, often a challenge for masons to do correctly, by incorporating them into reinforced roof and floor slabs.

As the fourth anniversary of the earthquake approaches, permanent housing solutions such as Kay Solid are helping J/P HRO fulfill its goal to safely relocate all displaced residents of the Petionville Camp by January 12, 2014.

Community design input session, 2012

A family relocated from Petionville Club camp moves to their new home, 2013.

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The two Haitian Creole names of the project reflect its fluid

identity, a path from original intent to its perception by the public. ‘Kay Kat Fanmi’, or ‘four-family house’, indicates its realization as two houses built by separate contractor teams to identify common challenges during construction. ‘Kay Solid’, or ‘solid house’, emerged after being overheard during public outreach.

Competitive spirit - one contractor is slightly ahead of the other in the application of plaster finish.

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SENIOR CENTERS 2002-2004 adapt adaptive

reuse aid capacity-build

cities conserve context demolition diverse educate engage environment foster housing home humanitarian design impact integrate job training lead mentor mitigate multidisciplinary preserve relocate developing nation displaced

retrofit nonprofit outreach partner permanent respond

post-disaster reclaim reconstruct

redevelop

repurpose resilience

strengthen temporary transition underserved urban urbanism stewardship

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These five facilities reach older citizens in some of Chicago’s most underserved communities. Whether providing classes in computer literacy, fitness, tax preparation, or addressing emergency and resiliency functions such as acting as ‘cooling centers’ in hot summer months, the Senior Activity Centers serve the specific needs of citizens age 60 and older in easily-accessible, and modern (but low-key) settings.

Sustainable design strategies include low-maintenance native species plantings, planters integrated into exterior walls and interior spaces, and large, flexible rooms. After extensive interviews with future users, continuous glass clerestories and skylit elements balance natural daylighting with security and privacy, limiting intrusive views by onlookers at street level while affording constant natural light and views of sky and trees.

Early clerestory and skylight concepts.

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Englewood Center was planned as an adaptive re-

use and an addition to an existing muffler shop, featuring a skylit central atrium bordered by an interior planter, conceptually extending the landscape design to the interior. Urban space was layered - from most public at the street, a ‘mixing space’ at landscaped setbacks, to most private at interior.

The building’s massing, articulation of openings, and textured coursing of brick, provide much-needed acknowledgement of the human scale and moderation to a street dominated by busy traffic.

The design of each center responds according to its particular

urban context. Portage Park Center was inserted into the existing walls of a historic Chicago Park District Fieldhouse changing area, eliminating the need for extensive demolition and improving user traffic to the popular Olympic-sized pool.

My role on these centers covered design through client interaction and construction administration (completed under STL Architects).

A continuous clerestory quietly signifies the location of the new Portage Park senior center (right).

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Ravine mitigation Port-au-Prince, 2011-2013

In late 2011, following unstable

conditions in the Petionville IDP camp managed by J/P HRO, the NGO conducted an extensive search for suitable locations for the establishment of a new clinic to serve both residents of the camp and the adjoining Delmas 40B neighborhood. A private residence was located, selected, and underwent an earthquake-resilient retrofit and adaptive reuse to transform it into a medical clinic.

Located alongside one of the ravines which bisect Port-au-Prince, directing stormwater from mountains to sea, the facility was threatened by an eroding ravine edge composed partly of soft soil, undermined by the scouring action of water during the wet season, compounded by acceleration around a sharp turn in the ravine.

Ravine before mitigation, 2012. J/P-1 Clinic is visible at top left.

Ravine curves sharply at Impasse Belo near the clinic (‘C’). LIDAR DEM digital terrain model of ravine bisecting the neighborhood. Source: World Bank Natural Hazards Assessment Team (NATHAT)

C

Ravine before mitigation, 2011.

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h

Following analysis by a Natural

Hazards Assessment Team (NATHAT) from the World Bank, a two-phase mitigation was undertaken: 1) A temporary wall of wire gabions filled with stone was erected until funds were secured for 2) a permanent wall faced with concrete finish, topped with a concrete curb and gutter to direct surfacewater away down the ravine face, and a concrete balustrade to discouage the dumping of trash and protect pedestrians from falls.

JP-1 Klinik Kominote continues to provide community healthcare services to over 1,000 individuals weekly.

This project fueled my further interest in urban ravines, (see my article “The Ravines of Port-auPrince�, UrbDeZine, 2013).

Ravine after mitigation, 2013.

Ravine after mitigation (under construction), 2013.

New gutter directs water along and away from ravine. New concrete walls prevent falls.

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