"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Tag: Civil Engineering
Why National Flood Insurance Program Communities Ban Housing Development in Floodplains
04/15/21
“Why do communities that are covered by the national flood insurance program ban housing development in floodplains?”
Communities that are part of the national flood insurance program are instructed to ban housing development in floodplains. This is to prevent more people from living in at-risk zones. This is Why National Flood Insurance Program Communities Ban Housing Development in Floodplains.
The U.S National Flood Insurance Program
04/12/21
“How is flood insurance handled in the U.S on the national level?”
Having property in the flood zone is inherently risky. At any given moment one can have their entire livelihoods destroyed by a surge of water. To mitigate this risk, insurance can be taken out. Sensing that some people may be left out of the private market due to financial circumstances, The congress of the United States created The U.S National Flood Insurance Program in 1968 to alleviate this. The program stipulates that communities that inhabit the 100-year floodplain are not only required to have insurance for their property but be able to access insurance to protect their assets. The U.S National Flood Insurance Program has caused a revolution in disaster work in the U.S and its consequences are manifold.
Projecting Physical Armoring to Climate Change in Urban Development
04/10/21
“How can we project what physical armoring to climate change is going to be like using analytic techniques?”
With the advent of climate change, cities are going to have to build armor to climate change to protect themselves from the onslaught of disasters. One way to do this is to use analytic techniques by analyzing municipal budgets, current technologies and practices, and making cost-benefit decisions on what will work out the best, This is how Projecting Physical Armoring to Climate Change in Urban Development can work.
Remote Climate Adaptation Collaboration
03/18/21
“How can we have remote climate adaptation project collaboration?”
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the mass proliferation of remote collaboration. The field of Climate Adaptation has been no exception, where people are working across continents to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The era of Remote Climate Adaptation Collaboration has begun, and will only accelerate from here.
Why Psychological Climate Stress Will Lead to More Infrastructure Failures
03/17/21
“Why will psychological climate stress lead to more infrastructure failures?”
Climate change is going to bring greater psychological stress to people. This will lead to more poor job performance and errors in decision-making. Infrastructure workers who operate under these conditions will bring more mistakes into the work they make, cascading into more faults. This is Why Psychological Climate Stress Will Lead to More Infrastructure Failures.
Why Climate Adaptation Engineers Need to Understand Social Science
03/12/21
“Why do climate adaptation engineers need to understand social science?”
Climate adaptation engineers are going to be a core part of building resilience to climate change. However, physical infrastructure does not operate in a social and cultural vacuum. The way it is designed and maintained impacts everyone around it. Failure to understand this will only bring maladaptation to the surrounding community, whether it be river flood barriers leading to water crashing downstream or seawalls choking off fisherman from obtaining their catch. By being aware of how engineering work designed without community input fails to meet design objectives, these problems can be avoided. This is Why Climate Adaptation Engineers Need to Understand Social Science.
Why Simplified Infrastructure Documentation Could Be a Boon for Resilience
02/25/21
“How could simplified infrastructure documentation be a boon for resilience?”
Infrastructure documentation is the map that helps get engineers and architects to repair and reconstruct critical systems. However, if the plans are too complicated to comprehend, then it could lead to a lot of wasted time and money. However, if matters are simplified, resilience work and retrofits can be quickly done. This is Why Simplified Infrastructure Documentation Could Be a Boon for Resilience.
Why Rent Control Can Help Prevent Climate Displacement
02/03/21
“Why can rent control help prevent climate displacement?”
As land that is naturally resilient to the effects of climate change becomes more and more scarce, demand for it will only go up. This will increase pricing, which could displace the original inhabitants from the land. However, if we enact rent control policies in these areas, then we can ensure that these residents do not have to leave against their own will. This mode of thought could have great use for areas that are already experiencing climate gentrification such as Little Haiti in Miami. This is Why Rent Control Can Help Prevent Climate Displacement.
Why Porous Land Makes Flooding Adaptation Construction More Difficult
02/01/21
“Why does porous land make flooding adaptation construction more difficult?”
Porous land can make construction difficult. Lacking a solid foundation, structures can easily slide into the ground and fall apart. Special accommodations may have to be made to deal with these units. This makes things worse for building flood adaption systems, where dykes and sea walls require good earth to stand on. This is Why Porous Land Makes Flooding Adaptation Construction More Difficult.
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