Tag: Civil Engineering

How Water Squares are Designed

How Water Squares are Designed

How Water Squares are Designed

01/16/24

“How are water squares designed?”

Water squares are marvelous pieces of urbanism. Their dual-use purpose allows them to function as flood mitigation and public space. But how are they designed? Well, first a low-lying area is set up to act as a bed. During dry seasons this usually has recreational functions such as a swimming pool or a basketball court. This bed is surrounded by slanted walls that keep water in during heavy rain storms. Connected to these walls will be an inlet to a drainage system to clear the water when the time is ready. This is How Water Squares are Designed.

Image credit stormwater.wef.org

Why Housing in Informal Settlements is Often More Prone to Collapse During Flooding

Why Housing in Informal Settlements is Often More Prone to Collapse During Flooding

Why Housing in Informal Settlements is Often More Prone to Collapse During Flooding

01/11/24

“Why is housing in informal settlements more prone to collapse during flooding?”

Housing in informal settlements is built without respect to codes. Some of these codes include provisions for protection against flood events. This means that when floods occur the homes often collapse from the might of the water. This is Why Housing in Informal Settlements is Often More Prone to Collapse During Flooding.

Culvert Maintenance Cost Estimation

Culvert Maintenance Cost Estimation

Culvert Maintenance Cost Estimation

11/18/23

“Why do we need to estimate costs for culvert maintenance?”

Culverts are a vital part of many flood control systems. But they will age and become less useful with wear and tear. Engineers and planners will need to figure out how much maintenance of these systems will cost. Culvert Maintenance Cost Estimation is a principle part of system operations and will need to be thought about.

Why Learning About Drainage Canals Should Be a Part of Adaptation Engineering Training

Why Learning About Drainage Canals Should Be a Part of Adaptation Engineering Training

Why Learning About Drainage Canals Should Be a Part of Adaptation Engineering Training

10/30/23

“Why should learning about drainage canals be a part of adaptation engineering training?”

Drainage canals have been used for controlling flood waters for centuries. This has made them a core part of water control engineering. For adaptation engineering students, it’s only logical to learn about this in school. This way they’ll be ready to work on real-world projects once they’re out of school. This is Why Learning About Drainage Canals Should Be a Part of Adaptation Engineering Training.

Why New Parking Garages Should Be Made Retrofit-Ready

Why New Parking Garages Should Be Made Retrofit-Ready

Why New Parking Garages Should Be Made Retrofit-Ready

09/08/23

“Why should new parking garages be made retrofit-ready?”

Parking garages can be difficult to convert into housing and offices. Their slanted platforms, low ceilings, different piping, and design standards clash with the needs of living and working spaces. However, by making the parking garages retrofit-ready by having them comply with some of the standards, then it will be much easier to convert them into other forms. This is Why New Parking Garages Should Be Made Retrofit-Ready.

Flood Home Elevation

Flood Home Elevation

Home Elevation

08/10/23

“Why can home elevation better insulate us from floods?”

Homes close to bodies of water can be subjected to floods. These can be so catastrophic that the entire structure can be submerged. And this is only going to become more common with the advent of climate change. But what can we do to protect against this? Well, what if were to simply elevate our homes? Through Flood Home Elevation we create an extra barrier against pouring water and keep our families safer.

Image credit: http://www.tampabay.com

The FEMA 50% Rule

The FEMA 50% Rule

The FEMA 50% Rule

08/06/23

“Why does FEMA mandate structures that have lost more than half of their market value during floods be rebuilt with full regulations compliance?”

FEMA is one of the primary U.S. federal agencies tasked with helping communities recover after flood disasters. If a structure has lost more than half of its market value due to flood damages, then The FEMA 50% Rule kicks in. The FEMA 50% rule mandates that such structures must be rebuilt to be in full compliance with the latest regulations and that any other improvements are strictly prohibited.

Why Homes Worldwide Will Need to be Retrofitted to Accommodate Higher Temperatures Soon

Why Homes Worldwide Will Need to be Retrofitted to Accommodate Higher Temperatures Soon

Why Homes Worldwide Will Need to be Retrofitted to Accommodate Higher Temperatures Soon

07/29/2023

“Why will homes worldwide need to be retrofitted to accommodate higher temperatures soon?”

Climate change is raising the average temperature throughout the planet. Communities will face temperatures straddling to new heights like they’ve never seen before. Complicating matters is current buildings are made to withstand temperatures in the previous climate paradigm. As a result, people will have to make their homes to be able to live with their new climate. This is Why Homes Worldwide Will Need to be Retrofitted to Accommodate Higher Temperatures Soon.

Why Better Emergency Management Can Dampen Out Extremist Influence

Why Better Emergency Management Can Dampen Out Extremist Influence

Why Better Emergency Management Can Dampen Out Extremist Influence

07/20/23

“Why can better emergency management dampen out extremist influence?”

Governments usually are responsible for emergency response actions. However, if their actions are insufficient, then other groups may step in to fill the gap. Extremist right-wing groups can enter to spread their ideology to the civilians they’re helping. Governments can prevent this puncture by investing in quality emergency management. If the government’s response works well, then civilians are also more likely to trust government institutions. This is Why Better Emergency Management Can Dampen Out Extremist Influence.