STRATEGY
WATER TYPE
BODY OF WATER
DENSITY
Population per square mile
KIT OF PARTS
12,793
push + pull
Saltwater
sea
Total: 655,884
lake fragment + disperse
freshwater
$
11,842
$
Total: 2,722,389
7,179 REPURPOSE + CONTAIN
freshwater
river
$
Total: 124,705
4,236 RECEDE + UNFURL
freshwater
river
Total: 193,792
$
FLOOD STRUCTURES
DISTRIBUTION
Boston, MA
Percentage of Land st Risk of Flooding
1% ANNUAL FLOOD
DENSITY
520 K 480 K 420 K 400 K 1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Population in Coastal FLoodplain
Chicago, IL
Percentage of Land st Risk of Flooding
1% ANNUAL FLOOD
DENSITY
250 K 230 K 210 K 190 K 1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Population in Coastal FLoodplain
Hartford , CT
1% ANNUAL FLOOD
DENSITY
Percentage of Land st Risk of Flooding
230 K
210 K
190 K 1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Population in Coastal FLoodplain
Grand Rapids, MI
Percentage of Land st Risk of Flooding
1% ANNUAL FLOOD
DENSITY
270 K 250 K 230 K 1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Population in Coastal FLoodplain
UNBUILD TO (BETTER) BUILD
push + pull
fragment + disperse
KIT OF PARTS
AGRICULTURE
BEACH
AQUACULTURE
PRESERVATION
RECREATION
HOUSING
INSTITUTIONS
COMMERCIAL
FLOOD STRATEGIES
FLOOD WALL
LEVEE
LEVEE
LEVEE
FLOODING STRUCTURES
FLOODTABLE STREET
FLOODABLE PARK
$
UNBUILD TO (BETTER) BUILD
REPURPOSE + CONTAIN
RECEDE + UNFURL
URBAN PATTERNS
UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION
CLUMPED DISPERSION
RANDOM DISPERSION
GROUPS
CONNECTORS
FLASH FLOOD
FRESHWATER
!
STORM SURGE
SALTWATER
! $
$
Manifesto final
Areas close to the water have always attracted humans because of their rich resources, their access points to marine trade and transport, for recreational and cultural activities and because of their special sense of place at the interface between land and sea. Coastal cities are growing on population density and size, From 1990 to 2010 more than 2.2 million new hosing units were built along increasingly floodable areas. Right now 9% of U.S population live in low elevation coastal zones (LECZ). By 2060 it could double. Because of the way that the cities have been built these areas are considered extremely vulnerable and at high risk of flood due to sea level rise, storm surge or flash floods. We have built and built and saturated this places with this entire world with buildings, infrastructure, life but the way that we approached these risks trough design is by creating walls and perimeters to “keep the water out” we’ve given this ’negative’ and scary connotation to water over the last years because our systems have failed us and a lot of damage has been done. why? Because water is dynamic and our structures are not. the lack of adaptability of our components make our cities completely defenseless to damage. We need to rethink the constructed nature of a site and improve the dialogue between water and land to reestablish a dynamic exchange. we have to design a landscape and urbanscape that anticipates and responds to ecological transformation. The main focus of my project are areas close to the water that are both highly populated and at risk of flooding. The idea is stop trying to control water and start using it in our favor, to turn these new conditions that we are facing into an opportunity to enhance our habitat and promote a constructive change. I have 4 main strategies, each one uniquely tailored to the specific geography, density, biophysical characteristics of the site, but all of them have something in common: The idea of UNBUILDING to better build.
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