2004 Brisbane MOBILE WATER AGENTS Jodi Ostrzega The reservoir for rain catchment in Brisbane is not located in the region of the highest rainfall. As a result, a substantial quantity of rainwater is lost in the city each year. The challenge then becomes to determine a way to capture this lost water so that it can be used for drinking as a more sustainable alternative to bottled water. 1
For example, the Stenocara Beetle traps water on the unique surface of its back. Once the water liquefies, it trickles down into the beetle’s mouth. Fog catchers can be found in Peru, where these fabric membranes capture moisture from the air and channel it into pipes for distribution into the city. Rain chains are devices that act like pipes to channel water vertically from one point to another. The mobile water agent travels through the city like a robot. It is programmed to follow rain and moisture and to deliver it to points in the city where drinking water is in demand. It can be found at different locations in the city at changing times throughout the day. 1 Mobile Water Agents 2 Mobile water agents location changes throughout the day 3 Filter details 4 Water Storage Belly 5 Sections 6 Mobile Water Agents configuration
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erning bodies access to the vital hard data necessary for informed decision-making, while concurrently creating a broader platform for ecologists, biologists, economists, planners, and other relevant professionals to disseminate and apply their findings. The HRMI recognizes the need to address the issues of urbanization and development within a regional context. The Hudson River Estuary is a critical environmental indicator for the wider metropolitan area. Its diverse land-use and ecosystem distribution and the rapidly changing nature of its urban character and demography position it at the forefront of the struggle to define sustainable development and land-use policies in rapidly urbanizing areas. The area has the potential for establishing a paradigm for how socioeconomic and environmental pressures can be addressed through comprehensive regionalplanning initiatives.
Once operational, we foresee enormous potential to replicate both of these models nationally and internationally. With the rapid pace of global urbanization and development that we have experienced over the past decade continuing unabated, the capacity to make informed, strategic decisions about where to concentrate and limit human impacts on our environment will be more critical than ever. Tools such as the Citizen’s Guide to Residential Development and the Hudson Regional Modeling Initiative will play a crucial role in managing the increasingly complex interplay between anthropogenic and natural systems.
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PROPOSAL CU 91
The scope of the project has also expanded beyond the goal of developing a merely projective modeling tool. While the projection of future development scenarios is critical in any modeling platform, the intent is to be able to make detailed qualitative assessments of the economic and environmental impacts of development and policy projections. This will take place through application of in-depth regional geographic data, which we are gathering in collaboration with our partners, to cutting-edge modeling and impact-assessment software. Through this process we hope to evaluate the region’s overall “carrying capacity” with respect to anthropogenic development. This evaluation will allow us to make specific, informed policy recommendations. Additionally, the UDL is collaborating with nonprofit organizations and community partners to identify specific areas, sites, and projects within the Hudson River Estuary that will be critical in shaping the overall trajectory of the region with regard to development and conservation.
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