"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Category: Urban Systems
Federal Dam (Hudson River)
10/01/26
“What marks the end of tidal influence in the Hudson River?”
The Hudson River is a fascinating piece of geography. The upper portion runs like a normal river, while the lower portion is a tidally influenced estuary. But what marks this point? Well, over 100 years ago, the federal U.S. government built the Federal Dam to control the transition from the lower to upper portions of the Hudson River.
Image credit: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/
Drowned Rivers
09/30/26
“What happens when a river valley is submerged by sea-level rise?”
Coastal river valleys appear worldwide. But these valleys can become submerged by rising sea levels and turn into Drowned Rivers. The Hudson Shelf Valley is an example of a drowned river.
The Hudson Highlands
09/29/26
“What are the mountains that surround the Hudson River?”
The Hudson River is New York State’s longest river. Surrounding the Hudson in Putnam and Orange Counties in New York State are The Hudson Highlands, a patch of mountains that are a subrange of the Appalachians. The Indigenous Lenape people are the rightful stewards of the Hudson Highlands.
The Hudson River
09/28/26
“What’s so special about New York City’s main river?”
New York City is a metropolis built off water (and stolen Indigenous land/Black labor). Its main river, The Hudson River, has some very special properties. Originating from Henderson lake in the Adirondack Mountains, the Hudson river darts out around 507 km/315 miles through New York State to the Atlantic Ocean. The Indigenous Munssee People called the lower portion of the Hudson (starting from around what’s now Albany) Muhheacannituck, or “the waters that are never still” or, less rigidly, “the river that flows two ways” since the subriver is a tidal estuary. Specifically, Muhheacannituck/the lower Hudson has two high tides and two low tides a day, reversing direction four times a day/every six hours. The Hudson River connects with the Erie Canal to Lake Erie, allowing for sea-based transportation from the Midwest. During the Ice Age, the Hudson River went on for much longer, as evidenced by the Hudson Shelf Valley and the Hudson Canyon.
The New York – New Jersey Bight
09/25/26
“Why does the coast of the greater NYC area curve sharply as you go from New Jersey to Long Island?”
If you travel the shoreline of the greater NYC region from the Cape May Inlet in New Jersey to Montauk Point in eastern Long Island, you’ll find that the coast has a definite curve as the New Jersey coast runs north-south and New York runs east-west. This curve forms The New York – New Jersey Bight. The New York – New Jersey Bight defines the waters of the greater NYC region, home to the largest port on the U.S. East Coast. The sharp bend in the New York – New Jersey Bight can trap hurricanes and lead to catastrophic flooding, such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The powerful winds from the Gulf Stream give the New York – New Jersey Bight a temperate climate and strong offshore wind energy potential.
Bights (Geography)
09/24/26
“What makes long, smooth coastal curves so special?”
The Earth’s geography is full of fascinating variations. One peculiar geographic feature is long, smooth, bay-forming bends in coasts called Bights. Bights are typically shallow enough to pose navigational hazards for ships. A great example of a bight is the southern stretch of the Australian continent called the Great Australian Bight, pictured above.
Shallow Concentrated Flow
09/21/26
“How does sheet flow turn into channel flow?”
Rainwater moves on the surface as sheet flow after hitting the ground. But soon enough, the runoff will bump into surface irregularities and begin to collect as neither sheet nor channel flow but something in between, Shallow Concentrated Flow. Shallow concentrated flow forms as small rivulets, has a flow depth between 0.1 and 0.5 ft, and is typically formed after sheet flow travels between 100 and 300 ft.
Complete Streets
09/15/26
“How can we design streets that are safe for all different types of transportation users?”
City streets in many parts of the world are designed with only cars in mind. But people move through streets in more than just cars, whether it’s by walking, biking, or taking transit. Car-centric street designs build infrastructure that’s incomplete for everyone’s needs and safety. Complete Streets, developed by Smart Growth America, is a street planning approach that integrates all different transit modes into a safe, healthy, and friendly urban design. Complete streets center marginalized communities and develop clear, solid criteria in their process. Examples of complete street infrastructure include bike lanes, well-built sidewalks, and comfortable and accessible transit stops.
Wellpoints
09/14/26
“How can we hook up a series of pipes to a pump to drain groundwater?”
Groundwater dewatering is a major problem at construction sites. So how can we use our engineering mindsets to solve this? Well, what if we were to take a series of pipes with holes so small it can let water in without destabilizing an aquifer, place them in the groundwater, and connect them all to a common pipe that’s hooked up to a pump that drains the water? This is the idea behind Wellpoints, a brilliant way to dewater a construction site.
Image credit: https://crewell.it/
