Introduction
Galveston is a city in the United States, located in southeastern Texas, on Galveston Island on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a seaside resort with a variety of coastal entertainment areas that bring income to the owners. For tourists, the city may offer a range of entertainment facilities, hotels, motels, and rental housing. For those looking to relocate to Galveston, there are options for buying a home for the long term. However, given the geography of the island, namely the location in the coastal zone, there is some threat. The city is at risk of climate change and sea-level rise consequences. Thereby, it will be relevant to develop a strategy for solving this problem for a specific site in the Galveston coastal zone.
The problem
The problem lies in the fact that, like most coastal areas, Galveston could experience a significant rise in water. It means that in the future, the riparian territory may be flooded, which will lead to significant economic damage. Moreover, the rate of sea-level rise is gradually accelerating, which articulates the necessity to develop an implementation in the context of a conceptual design, considering the problem. Thus, for a current site in the coastal area of Galveston, a drainage system and rising foundations will be applied. Thereby, the strategy, in this case, consists of its implementation at the initial level of development of a certain territory.
The site
The conceptual design makes it possible to use modern technologies in planning objects to solve some problems. Urbanism strategies are aimed at the introduction of modern solutions, taking into account environmental factors (Medina & Javier 179). Considering that the goal of developing the selected territory on Galveston is to make a profit, it will be based on the entertainment sector. This site will be built up with objects that will bring profit, taking into account the resort orientation of the city, namely shops, restaurants, and cafes. The area of each building will not exceed 700 square feet, given the concept design of the area.
Sea-level rise and hurricanes preventive implementations
Considering the danger of storms and rising sea levels, the main feature of the site will be the rising foundations. It is similar to an ordinary foundation, however, it is reinforced and located on a special hydraulic platform, which, in case of danger of flooding, can rise to a certain height. Thus, all buildings are protected from the water and, considering the reinforced foundation, either from hurricanes. Besides, there will be a drainage system on the territory in the form of large gratings in the ground leading to the spillway system. The gratings are covered with retractable platforms, which would open when there is a risk of flooding, along with a rising foundation. The drainage system will be connected to the conventional system, and will be able to receive a large amount of water, which will also protect the surrounding units.
Benefits & social impact
Thus, the management will benefit from my project, as in the future, it will generate income for the state treasury of the city. Moreover, considering the capacity of the grids on the territory, which can receive a lot of water, the surrounding blocks benefit likewise. Finally, tourists and residents of this city benefit from the project as they have the opportunity to visit an entertainment site that is at the same time safe from floods. The social impact is that the issue of climate change and sea rise is taken to a new level given this development. The global impact is the ability to develop security systems throughout the city and country on the basis of the current project.
Infrastructure
Transportation and mobility will be provided by the existing transport in the city, namely the bus and tram route. Electricity will be allowed by connecting to the global city grid, besides, solar panels will be installed on the territory on rising platforms in case of flooding. Sanitation and drainage will be connected to the city’s pipeline system and to grids placed on the territory. There will be no educational buildings on the territory, and food sources will be formulated by restaurants and shops.
Security measures
Addressing the extreme storm events is argued by the reinforced foundation, rising platforms, and gratings on the territory. In addition, part of the water from the spillway will go to the filling of fire tanks located on the territory, in case of a shortage of water from the city system. Also, several hydrants will be located in the region, which will provide additional safety from fires. Finally, the preventive measures against saltwater intrusion are formulated by separate and reinforced piping to prevent contamination. In addition, minimal emissions into the atmosphere justify the investment in the fight against rising temperatures.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is worth mentioning about equity issue, which implies some risks for investors. Considering the security priority and profitable spot, the investment return rate should be high. Besides, the site will imply the average price policy, which is beneficial in case of quality-of-life issues such as low income. The current site will have an essential social impact since it highlights the issue of sea-level rise and combines entertainment and security factors.
Work cited
Medina, Carmen, & Javier Monclus. Urban Visions: From Planning Culture to Landscape Urbanism. Springer, 2018.