The Greenway Fund is working to improve waterways in Colorado Springs by advocating for their positive use and securing funding for projects. It helped drive the completion of the Legacy Loop trail system and development of wetlands at America the Beautiful Park. While challenges remain in shifting perspectives and overcoming concrete channels, the Greenway Fund envisions local creeks and rivers becoming valued community assets, providing recreation, nature and economic benefits to residents.
Many new projects were announced in 2018. Our 2018 Year in Review recaps the most popular news and events from throughout the year.
For more news you can follow the City of Wilson on our website, WilsonNC.org; our Channel 8 on Greenlight and other local cable television systems; and on our social channels - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo.
Metro’s portfolio of outdoor destinations and nature programs has grown dramatically during the past two decades, laying the groundwork for a world-class regional park system.
To realize that opportunity, Metro has developed a system plan that will guide future decision-making and investments for regional parks, trails, natural areas and nature programs. Community members and partners helped shape a plan that lays out Metro's mission, role and priorities going forward – and introduces the 17,000 acres of parks, trails and natural areas that Metro manages on behalf of the public.
Many new projects were announced in 2018. Our 2018 Year in Review recaps the most popular news and events from throughout the year.
For more news you can follow the City of Wilson on our website, WilsonNC.org; our Channel 8 on Greenlight and other local cable television systems; and on our social channels - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo.
Metro’s portfolio of outdoor destinations and nature programs has grown dramatically during the past two decades, laying the groundwork for a world-class regional park system.
To realize that opportunity, Metro has developed a system plan that will guide future decision-making and investments for regional parks, trails, natural areas and nature programs. Community members and partners helped shape a plan that lays out Metro's mission, role and priorities going forward – and introduces the 17,000 acres of parks, trails and natural areas that Metro manages on behalf of the public.
Ottawa County Parks annual report for fiscal year 2019 (10/1/2018-9/30/2019). Thank you to volunteer photographer Mike Lozon for providing many of the images used in this report.
Smithsonian Urban Waterways Newsletter: Urban Waterways and the Impact of His...Michael Galvin
The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum Urban Waterways Project is a long-term research and educational initiative based upon research on the Anacostia River and local
communities, as well as research examining urban waterways in communities in other cities. The project raises public awareness about human-biosphere interaction, engenders
appreciation for rivers and their role in sustainable urban development, and fosters civic responsibility and advocacy for waterways. It is particularly focused on working with communities on the frontline and most affected by development and environmental impacts.
LAKE2BAY will be the healthiest urban space in the world to live, work,
learn, study, create, visit, and play by:
• Maximizing the value of iconic public spaces and cultural
experiences by connecting Myrtle Edwards Park and the SAM
Sculpture Garden up through the Seattle Center and its surrounding
neighborhoods to South Lake Union Park.
• Leveraging the opportunities generated by market activity and
innovation
• Creating a comprehensive, connected and coherent mobility and
access system that emphasizes safe, attractive walking and biking
• Creating housing in neighborhoods that are affordable and
compassionately serve a full spectrum of residents
• Emphasizing sustainable design in projects and buildings throughout
the area
Presentation by Metro Vancouver Parks Committee chair Gayle Martin to Langley (BC) Township Council on MV's Experience the Fraser trail and park plan. July 20, 2009.
Ottawa County Parks annual report for fiscal year 2019 (10/1/2018-9/30/2019). Thank you to volunteer photographer Mike Lozon for providing many of the images used in this report.
Smithsonian Urban Waterways Newsletter: Urban Waterways and the Impact of His...Michael Galvin
The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum Urban Waterways Project is a long-term research and educational initiative based upon research on the Anacostia River and local
communities, as well as research examining urban waterways in communities in other cities. The project raises public awareness about human-biosphere interaction, engenders
appreciation for rivers and their role in sustainable urban development, and fosters civic responsibility and advocacy for waterways. It is particularly focused on working with communities on the frontline and most affected by development and environmental impacts.
LAKE2BAY will be the healthiest urban space in the world to live, work,
learn, study, create, visit, and play by:
• Maximizing the value of iconic public spaces and cultural
experiences by connecting Myrtle Edwards Park and the SAM
Sculpture Garden up through the Seattle Center and its surrounding
neighborhoods to South Lake Union Park.
• Leveraging the opportunities generated by market activity and
innovation
• Creating a comprehensive, connected and coherent mobility and
access system that emphasizes safe, attractive walking and biking
• Creating housing in neighborhoods that are affordable and
compassionately serve a full spectrum of residents
• Emphasizing sustainable design in projects and buildings throughout
the area
Presentation by Metro Vancouver Parks Committee chair Gayle Martin to Langley (BC) Township Council on MV's Experience the Fraser trail and park plan. July 20, 2009.
В презентации рассматриваются основные характеристики организации деятельности рекламного агентства, как конкурентного предприятия. Дается типология рекламных агентств. Разбираются виды классификации рекламных агентств: особенности агентств полного цикла и специализированные агентства.
NJ Future Sandy One Year Later Design Hensold Oct 29 2013New Jersey Future
Design ideas for increasing resiliency among New Jersey coastal towns, presented by one of the finalists in the HUD Rebuild by Design competition. Part of the Sandy One Year Later conference Oct. 29, 2013, at Monmouth University, co-presented by the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Recovery Fund as well as New Jersey Future and Monmouth University.
Federal funding for river projects - Stacey Ericksen, Jeff Shoemaker, Marge P...rshimoda2014
Advice from individuals who have created successful river restoration, water quality recreational improvement through private-public partnerships
- Stacey Eriksen – USEPA Region 8
- Bill Haas – Federal Highway Administration, Colorado Division Office
- Marge Price, David Howlett – Capitol Representatives
- Jeff Shoemaker – The Greenway Foundation
Paso Robles Stormwater Improvements Discussion Questions
(Turn in after discussion on Tuesday, June 23)
1. Briefly describe the design on 21st Street. Is this the best solution? What are some other
solutions (you will need to do a little research to answer this question)?
2. What improvements were made beyond stormwater conveyance and treatment? Do
you think including these other improvements were justifiable? Why or why not?
3. What design storm is contained in the median channel? Is this sufficient? Why or why
not?
4. What was the cost of the project? Is this cost justifiable? Why or why not?
s California enters its fourth year of drought
and faces mandatory compliance with the 25 per-
cent overall cutback in water usage ordered in
March by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., mu-
nicipalities throughout the state are scrambling
to ensure that they will have enough water to
meet current and future demands. For Paso Ro-
bles, which is located in central California’s San
Luis Obispo County, the situation demands careful atten-
tion to the local groundwater basin, which supplies rough-
ly a third of the city’s drinking water. As part of a recently
completed project, Paso Robles combined drainage im-
provements with storm-water treatment and groundwater
recharge. The effort, the 21st Street Improvement Project, is
the first of its kind for the city, and it included bioretention,
pervious pavers, landscaped open-channel drainage, and an
[ 7 2 ] C i v i l E n g i n e e r i n g m a y 2 0 1 5 0 8 8 5 - 7 0 2 4 / 1 5 - 0 0 0 5 - 0 0 7 2 / $ 3 0 . 0 0 P E R A RT I C L E
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In making improvements to a key roadway, the City of Paso Robles, California, implemented measures to
retain and treat storm-water runoff and enable it to infiltrate into the ground. The infiltration will recharge
groundwater supplies and reduce flooding. By incorporating features for traffic calming, urban development,
water quality, and water supply, the 21st Street Improvement Project offers a model for other cities looking to
achieve similar objectives. . . . . . By Andy Rowe, p.e., leed ap, env sp, and Larry Kraemer, p.e.
21st Street 21st Century for the
A
infiltration trench to cleanse and capture runoff
while minimizing flooding during storms and
preserving the pavement. The newly designed
streetscape also improves the overall experience
of using the street in that it added trees, traffic-
calming features, and bicycle lanes and made
the pedestrian walkways more accessible. In a
region that is currently experiencing a historic
water shortage, the 21st Street design provides
a model for flood control, runoff treatment, and
groundwater recharge.
Astute storm-water engineering can im-
prove drainage while achieving advanced lev-
els of sustainable urban runoff treatment and
groundwater recharge. Recent enhancements to
21st Street in Paso Robles exemplify the poten-
tial to co.
Lake Lanier Outlook Newsletter for April 2014. Committed to a clean and full Lake Lanier. This months topics include A Message From The Board, 2014 Continued Progress & Programs, The Dawn Of Recreation, Kroger Community Reward Program For Lake Lanier, Lake Lanier Adopt-A-Lake, April Solar Light Committee Update, Lake Alice Update, Hall County Green Alliance Awards, New Costco Construction Project, What Is Electrical Shock Drowning?, 2014 Annual Membership Meeting Notice
1 How to Overcome Public Perception Issues on Potable R.docxpoulterbarbara
1
How to Overcome Public Perception Issues on Potable Reuse Projects
Michael R. Markus, P.E., Orange County Water District, Fountain Valley, CA
Eleanor Torres, Orange County Water District, Fountain Valley, CA
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of how the Orange County Water District
(the District; OCWD) was able to insulate itself from public opposition to its potable reuse
project, the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS).
To understand what challenges the District would be facing it is important to first understand
what was happening with other projects that were being developed at the same time in
Southern California. Second, it is important to understand the process by which the outreach
program was developed and how it was executed. That program was ongoing and changed
with the project to help anticipate and react to various issues that developed. Finally, it will be
shown how important it is to continue the outreach efforts and outline the various steps the
District has taken to educate people on the benefits of reuse.
Introduction
The Orange County Water District manages a very large groundwater basin (basin) in central
and north Orange County in the state of California, U.S.A. It was created by the State
Legislature in 1933 for that purpose and is governed by a 10-member Board of Directors that
sets policy, establishes the amount of pumping out of the basin and sets tariffs. The District
currently has set the amount of groundwater that can be pumped out of the basin at 77% of the
total water demands for its 19 retail agencies which serve 2.5 million people. The remaining
23% of its water supply is dependent on water that is imported into the region.
The Southern California region has a semi-arid climate, which receives approximately 355 mm
of rainfall per year. Most of its water is imported from two primary outside sources, the
Colorado River and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Delta) in Northern California. The
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) built a 320 km aqueduct in the
1930’s bringing water from the Colorado River into Southern California and then participated in
the building of a 640 km aqueduct in the 1960’s from Northern California to bring water from
the Delta to Southern California. These supplies are enough to meet the water demands in
most years, but they are variable and the amount of water through these systems is dependent
on hydrology and certainly in the future, climate change.
Groundwater basins provide an important source of supplemental supply to the imported water
provided by MWD. A sustainably managed basin can provide a reliable source of low-cost
water, with groundwater costing half as much as imported water. The Orange County Water
District relies on rainfall, stormwater capture, Santa Ana River flows, untreated imported water
and recycled water for refilling its basin. This amount of water.
1 How to Overcome Public Perception Issues on Potable R.docxjeremylockett77
1
How to Overcome Public Perception Issues on Potable Reuse Projects
Michael R. Markus, P.E., Orange County Water District, Fountain Valley, CA
Eleanor Torres, Orange County Water District, Fountain Valley, CA
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of how the Orange County Water District
(the District; OCWD) was able to insulate itself from public opposition to its potable reuse
project, the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS).
To understand what challenges the District would be facing it is important to first understand
what was happening with other projects that were being developed at the same time in
Southern California. Second, it is important to understand the process by which the outreach
program was developed and how it was executed. That program was ongoing and changed
with the project to help anticipate and react to various issues that developed. Finally, it will be
shown how important it is to continue the outreach efforts and outline the various steps the
District has taken to educate people on the benefits of reuse.
Introduction
The Orange County Water District manages a very large groundwater basin (basin) in central
and north Orange County in the state of California, U.S.A. It was created by the State
Legislature in 1933 for that purpose and is governed by a 10-member Board of Directors that
sets policy, establishes the amount of pumping out of the basin and sets tariffs. The District
currently has set the amount of groundwater that can be pumped out of the basin at 77% of the
total water demands for its 19 retail agencies which serve 2.5 million people. The remaining
23% of its water supply is dependent on water that is imported into the region.
The Southern California region has a semi-arid climate, which receives approximately 355 mm
of rainfall per year. Most of its water is imported from two primary outside sources, the
Colorado River and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Delta) in Northern California. The
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) built a 320 km aqueduct in the
1930’s bringing water from the Colorado River into Southern California and then participated in
the building of a 640 km aqueduct in the 1960’s from Northern California to bring water from
the Delta to Southern California. These supplies are enough to meet the water demands in
most years, but they are variable and the amount of water through these systems is dependent
on hydrology and certainly in the future, climate change.
Groundwater basins provide an important source of supplemental supply to the imported water
provided by MWD. A sustainably managed basin can provide a reliable source of low-cost
water, with groundwater costing half as much as imported water. The Orange County Water
District relies on rainfall, stormwater capture, Santa Ana River flows, untreated imported water
and recycled water for refilling its basin. This amount of water ...
3A GREENER, GREATER NEW YORK PLANYCFour years ago we asked.docxgilbertkpeters11344
3A GREENER, GREATER NEW YORK PLANYC
Four years ago we asked what we want our
city to look and feel like in 2030.
A growing population, aging infrastructure,
a changing climate, and an evolving economy
posed challenges to our city’s success and quality
of life. But we recognized that we will determine
our own future by how we respond to and shape
these changes with our own actions.
We created PlaNYC as a bold agenda to meet
these challenges and build a greener, greater
New York.
This effort has yielded tremendous results.
In just four years we’ve added more than 200
acres of parkland while improving our existing
parks. We’ve created or preserved more than
64,000 units of affordable housing. We’ve
provided New Yorkers with more transportation
choices. We’ve enacted ambitious laws to make
existing buildings more energy-efficient. And our
greenhouse gas emissions have fallen 13% below
2005 levels.
Now we must do more.
Today, we put forward an updated plan that
builds upon the progress and lessons of the
past four years.
PlaNYC complements other City efforts, such
as those we are making on crime, poverty,
education, public health, or social services.
The Plan focuses on the physical city, and
the functionality of its infrastructure in our
everyday lives: housing that is too often too
expensive, neighborhoods that need more
playgrounds, aged water and power systems
overdue for upgrade, congested streets and
crowded subways. If these challenges remain
unaddressed, we will undermine our economy
and our quality of life.
Our city’s history teaches us that investing in
our future is not a luxury, but an imperative.
In the 19th century, innovative and ambitious
investments in infrastructure like the Croton
water system and the Brooklyn Bridge, plus
an unprecedented influx of new people, firmly
established New York as the nation’s leading
city. In ensuing decades, the city’s dynamism
and ability to reinvent itself, exemplified by new
investments in subways, skyscrapers, sanitation,
and sewers all propelled New York’s status as a
global leader in infrastructure and innovation.
That’s the story of our city, century after century.
Times change, but New York City often leads
the change. The key to New York’s success has
always been our leaders’ foresight and courage
to boldly meet challenges and capitalize on
opportunities.
Those are our aims with PlaNYC.
Improve the
quality of our
waterways
to increase
opportunities for
recreation and
restore coastal
ecosystems
Waterways
62 WATERWAYSWATERWAYS
Water surrounds New York City, and the story of
our harbor in many ways reflects the history of
our city. The Hudson, East, Harlem, and Bronx
Rivers, Jamaica Bay, and the Upper and Lower
New York Bays have physically defined the city
and supported trade, industry, diverse ecologi-
cal communities, and recreation. Our water-
ways, as much as any other element of the city,
disting.
1. Going Greenway
by Jeremy V. Jones
The Greenway Fund is connecting people,
protecting waterways and improving the
quality of Colorado Springs life.
Imagine kids splashing happily in the shallows of Monument Creek while pods of inner tubes and
stand-up paddleboarders float by. At America the Beautiful Park, high school employees wait with
bike taxis, ready to pedal passengers back for another run downstream. Runners, dog walkers and
cyclistscruisebothdirectionsontheparalleltrails.Afifth-gradeclasswatchesgeeseandlearnsabout
the riparian ecosystem. Laughter echoes from the patios of nearby eateries where diners overlook
the meandering waterway and up to the skyline of Pikes Peak. This green artery runs through the
heart of Colorado Springs, pumping recreation, nature, health and value to the city and its people.
Andrea Barker, board chair of the Greenway Fund, can envision it. Parts of the previous scene
aren’t so far from reality. Other aspects seem far off. The surrounding issues are complex, and
they involve many stakeholders, government agencies and the 927-square-mile Fountain Creek
watershed that stretches from Pikes Peak to Falcon and from Palmer Lake to Pueblo. Still, the
potential for thriving waterways and their accompanying recreational and economic benefits
drive Barker and the board of the Greenway Fund to look beyond the challenges and seek to
answer: How can we make our waterways better? How can they improve life in and around
Colorado Springs?
Those are the kinds of questions the nonprofit has been asking since it was created in 2011 to
advance local waterways as unique assets to the environment, economy and recreational vitality
of the Colorado Springs community. “Our role is to be the voice that advocates for positive use of
our waterways,” Barker says.
Untangling the History
To understand why the Greenway Fund matters, it helps to know some backstory.
Since the 1960’s, Colorado Springs has taken a basin-by-basin approach to sending developed
stormwater downstream. As the city has grown, newly constructed individual structures, such
as buildings and parking lots, have not been required to capture or control rainfall or snowmelt.
Where vacant land once absorbed precipitation and allowed it to percolate into the ground
and gradually seep into adjacent drainages, now structures or pavement shed water and send
it speeding into drainages. In most large jursidictions, commercial parking lots are required
to include a stormwater detention pond that captures flowing stormwater and releases it into
drainages at its previous natural rate. Not in Colorado Springs. Instead, the city buttressed the
major local creeks—Cottonwood, Spring, Sand, Cheyenne and Fountain Creek through Manitou—
and essentially funneled the stormwater downstream toward Pueblo and points south.
Massive flooding hit the Front Range in 1965 after several days of biblical rainfall—12 to 14 inches
per day for several days in a row. Local creeks turned into raging torrents. The Arkansas River
Basin, including Colorado Springs, took $37 million in damage as Monument Creek tore through
town and nearly overflowed the Uintah Street bridge. Denver was hardest hit. Its downtown was
obliterated, and damage was estimated at $504 million.
Denver’s reaction was swift. Legislation was passed to create the Urban Drainage and Flood
Control District to manage and coordinate all stormwater drainage in the six-county metropolitan
area. Chatfield and Cherry Creek Reservoirs were constructed. And the Greenway Foundation was
formed as the nonprofit partner to promote and drive recreational and environmental benefits of
the South Platte corridor. Altogether, Denver began turning its previously polluted and neglected
waterways into environmentally, socially and economically valuable public amenities.
Colorado Springs made no changes—until 1999.
After Fountain Creek overflowed that year and flooded the lower eastside of Pueblo, the Pikes
Peak Area Council of Government and the Pueblo Regional Council of Governments began to
discuss what should be done about the issues. They discovered that no Army Corps of Engineers
analysis of flood conditions had ever been done for Fountain Creek. Once that process was
completed in 2003, the watershed could be eligible for federal funding.
During the same timeframe, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) was moving forward to design
and permit the Southern Delivery System (SDS) to convey potable water from Pueblo Reservoir
to the Springs. As one the largest water projects in the West, the federal nexus required an
Environmental Impact Study. The four year process revealed the Springs needed to mitigate the
impact of stormwater downstream. In short, Colorado Springs was not managing its stormwater
like a good, upstream neighbor.
That was the last straw for Pueblo. The Steel City sued Colorado Springs and beefed up its
regulations for environmental impact. Colorado Springs countersued, claiming Pueblo couldn’t
change its regulations in the middle of SDS. By 2006, the neighboring cities were at an impasse.
The Fountain Creek Vision Task Force, led by El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark, was
created to get both sides talking and to iron out the differences. Gary Barber, as chair of the
Arkansas Basin Roundtable group and manager of the El Paso County Water Authority, helped
organize and fund Vision Task Force. After two years of facilitated dialogue, a strategic plan was
drafted to guide recreational improvements and environmental restoration, such as wetlands
construction and streambank restoration, throughout the watershed. The plan correlated with
work that CSU was required to do under its federal permit for SDS.
(Continued on back)
2. Going Greenway Continued | The Greenway Fund is connecting people, protecting waterways and improving the quality of Colorado Springs life.
In addition, CSU had agreed during SDS negotiations to pay $50 million over five years to fix
everything broken in the watershed below the Springs’ city limit to Pueblo. That money would
begin flowing once the water in SDS did too, possibly as early as 2015—they just needed a
government entity to give it to.
So Pueblo Democrats and El Paso County Republicans joined hands and went to the state
legislature in 2009 to establish the Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway
District. It was directly modeled after Denver’s Urban Drainage district and tasked to regionally
manage stormflow and drainage. Given the success of the Denver model and its partnership with
the Greenway Foundation, a similar partnerhip was pursued.
To that end, the Greenway Fund was formed in 2011 as the nonprofit partner to raise awareness
and money for maximizing the recreational benefits of the waterways. The Pikes Peak
Community Foundation sponsored the nonprofit. El Pomar Foundation offered logistical support
through its Fellows. And the 10-member board, with Gary Barber at the helm, went to work
Early Success
The one-two punch of the Greenway Fund’s mission is its grassroots advocacy combined with its
efforts to secure funding through grants and gifts. The organization can both receive and give
donations. That’s good news for donors who can receive tax credits for large financial gifts—and
for partnering organizations.
“We’re eligible for grant dollars that the government is not, and the government is eligible for
grant dollars that we’re not, so you cover both sides by having that partnership,” says Barber,
who is still a board member.
The Greenway Fund’s first big success has been driving the Legacy Loop toward completion. The
9.75-mile continuous ring of trails around downtown Colorado Springs links parks and waterways
and serves as a hub for the city’s entire trail network. Although several trail connections and
underpasses are still underway, the Greenway Fund has been able to secure Parks Department
support, City Council approval and community partnerships to focus on completion of the Legacy
Loop. It’s a project over 100 years in the making, promoted in Charles Mulford Robinson’s A City
Beautiful Dream, The 1912 Vision for Colorado Springs.
“Our city flag hints at it with the green ring,” Barker says.
“The good news for us is that the guy who founded this town, General William Palmer, had the
vision to make it a park,” Barber says. “Up in Denver, it was an industrial wasteland. They had to
actually go in and acquire the land and clean up the mess and deal with toxic stuff. So we got a
head start there. Most of our drainage way is already publicly owned and publicly accessible. We
just need to take better care of it.”
The Greenway Fund has also been the driver behind Creekside at America the Beautiful Park.
The newly developed wetlands and interpretive area will feature new trails and beach access to
connect people to Fountain Creek and its ecosystem. The area is scheduled to be completed by
summer 2015. “The whole idea is for kids to be able to get their feet wet instead of keeping them
away with berms,” Barker says.
Green Potential
Barker says there’s much work to be done, and many of the challenges involve overcoming the
concrete channels within area creeks and shifting future design perspectives and plans.
“Our creeks and waterways have huge potential to be amenities,” Barker says. “Unfortunately,
we continue to treat them as infrastructure pipelines or ditches.”
“Our job is to turn these liabilities into community assets,” Barber adds.
Barker gets excited talking about the potential for better fatbiking access in waterways such as
Sand Creek and Jimmy Camp Creek, especially when winter creates courses of shallow ice and
sand bars.
But will the Springs see the same kind of thriving riverwalks or whitewater parks that have
spurred urban revitalization in cities across the nation? Possibly. But the leaders of the Greenway
Fund prefer to focus on maximizing the unique potential of Springs’ waterways rather than
trying to replicate another urban water system.
“I would like to see us bring more of Colorado into Colorado Springs,” Barker says. “Let’s get
more natural corridors with wider areas to have greenways throughout the city while still
protecting the infrastructure of our bridges.”
With the North Reclamation Plant on Monument Creek near Garden of the Gods Road providing
clean effluent and a steady flow, Barber says there’s plenty of water for a tubing park. And it
might even work as a kayaking run 10 or 12 days a year after big rains.
“You could connect UCCS with downtown via an aesthetic riparian corridor and recreational
facility that gets you all the way to America the Beautiful Park,” Barber says. “It can be the gem
of the downtown.”
Whatever the improvements, much of the challenge is fostering a value shift among city leaders
and engineers and connecting public will. The 19th century model of development was to tame
the west, drain the swamps and turn the desert green. In the 21st century, the ideal is to build
wetlands, leave desert as wilderness and design urban and suburban development to work
cohesively with nature.
“That value shift is a difficult one for a city that’s been around 150 years and says, ‘We came out
on the railroad to tame the West—now we want to untame the river?’” Barber says. “That’s why
this model works. You have a partnership. You bring both perspectives to every dialogue.”
“People protecting the waterways creates more green, and the green connects back to the
people,” Barker says. “It’s a continuous loop that improves the quality of the environment
around our waterways and the quality of life for us all.”