Blog 2

During our last class, we hosted Joseph Alexiou, whom is the author of Gowanus: Brooklyn’s Curious Canal, published October 2015. We have been discussing the characteristics of the Gowanus since the beginning. He brought light on many details we have captured during our walking trip, videos and readings. Water has been the key feature of a strong successful city.  Every  great city is around water; NYC, London, Barcelona, Istanbul, Budapest, Paris, Venice, etc. Waterfront areas tend to develop faster. But when a water body takes the abuse of all its tenants throughout the years it turns into the toxic state.

During the canal’s early phases, the powerful rich men came up with many different versions of how the canal should be reconstructed. All in favor of toxic industrial factories that polluted the canal. In 1870 there was no life in the water. At this time, sewage was the side of the street. Through residential density increase and urban planning, the canal branches out. There were many interesting proposals that benefited each industry and their operations on the canal, but I really think the hybrid of all the designs we saw could be much more interesting and purposeful for the entire community, maybe. When looking at the history of this canal and its currents state, does make you want to point fingers to those that abused this water body. Humanity destroyed this asset, and just realized the damage. I do believe there are faster efficient ways to clean the 10’ waste off the bottom of the canal.  I do agree that there should be a current of flow, maybe created from hydraulic pressure to create the canal to clean itself with the flow of water, and I also believe everyone involved has waited too long to resolve this issue. I am astonished of the slow pace of the government with the superfund program, the EPA for not moving faster, or acting concerned. Or most importantly the local community. I don’t understand how and why if the condition of the Gowanus not improving.

The topology of the area is extremely close to sea level. Sea level infrastructure is very risky and in today’s climate we must design with consideration of the rise of the sea level as well. Areas at risk would need mitigation precautions like Pond Mills to move the water around to prevent floods and sustain any energy from it. Water is a sustainable asset that allows humans to harvest its energies for our daily consumption. In my opinion, we should hybrid all the historical designs, and elevate the site so it can reject floods. This would help the water flow and have clean current that could eventually push the bad water out. All buildings that built around the canal also have combined sewage system, where the rain water and wastewater are combined. We are in the day and age that these systems are obsolete. The system needs to be updated, rain water needs to be reused. And the rest to a waste plant, not our waters that we try to clean.

 

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