• most buildings were designed for an earlier climate – here’s what will happen as global warming accelerates. climate change is drastically altering the environmental conditions in which our buildings were designed to function. but how exactly does climate change affect our building materials? 

• 5 ways to make buildings climate change resilient. building for resilience against heatwave, cyclones, coastal flooding, and extreme cold — what does the future of infrastructure look like?

• an architect with an eye on the environment. increasingly, architects, and builders are thinking about how their creations affect the health of the planet. meet kunlé adeyemi, a nigerian architect who has built his career around that question.

check back tomorrow for more info on what is being explored on the final day of cop26 — and more good reads to keep you informed!

these images are taken in several different neighborhoods in syracuse, n.y., including the near west side, the south side, and downtown areas. the purpose of this is to create a visual display of what kind of art is acceptable in these areas, and to use these differences to unpack the varying privileges between these neighborhoods.

depicted is the wall of an abandoned building in the near west side of syracuse, n.y. this neighborhood is an area of concentrated poverty and racial disparity, caused by the history of the city’s urban planning. according to cny fair housing, these neighborhoods were shaped by the racist practice of redlining, as well as the construction of the interstate 81 viaduct, which cuts through the city and divides the neighborhoods based on socioeconomic status and race (muñoz 2020). redlining prevented families and individuals in this neighborhood from securing mortgages and loans, a blatant act of racial discrimination. this building stands out among syracuse’s 1,800 abandoned buildings because of the vibrant art covering every available area. what’s unique about this site is the legality of this graffiti. a battle was fought for the transformation of this building, resulting in it being the only site in the city that allows graffiti. before this practice was legal, the artists were stereotyped as vandals and criminals.however, with support from the residents, this space was dedicated to acts of self expression and community beautification. (ibrahim 2018). this building now adds color, depth and identity to the near west side. this is crucial as it symbolizes a resilience against the city’s systemic neglect.

this mural, captured at the same site, contrasts the most from any other i was able to find. it’s not done in the traditional graffiti style of stencils, bold lettering/colors, or signatures. the tones are unique and there’s no obvious connection between the figures painted. the characters displayed here are abstract and non-conforming. depending on the viewer, this could either be appreciated or cataloged as disturbing. personally, i believe the design choices and creation of eccentric beings are a symbol of creativity and an act of pure expression. it appears to be done by the same artist, but the lack of unity contrasts with the commissioned murals found in wealthier or more commercial areas of the city.

according to the city’s public art ordinance, any public art must require a formal application and be reviewed by an official committee before it is permitted. the formation of this committee is to facilitate art in the city, but by requiring approval, the type and location permitted becomes limited and exclusionary. the committee is made up of only eleven members, therefore diversity is crucial in order to allow a multicultural, decentralized scope. incorporating art into the city is well intended, but poses a risk of a particular type of gentrification, known as artwashing.

artwashing occurs when graffiti or murals are commissioned by the city in an attempt of beautification. this in turn attracts wealthier individuals to a city, who may be chasing a visual aesthetic or be drawn in by a sense of curated culture. an increase of new renters or homeowners to a city can pose dangerous risks to long term residents. art can improve the status of real estate, resulting in an increase in property taxes and values. newcomers may be able to afford this cost, while current residents may be forced out. this displacement is dangerous, as it is rooted in racial inequalities. while the process of shaping communities and restricting loans is now illegal, the implications of this redlining have been long lasting. according to census data from 2017, 35% of syracuse’s population lived below the poverty line (mapping the food environment in syracuse, new york 2017). this income inequality is disproportionally observed in redlined communities.

pictured above is a commissioned mural on clinton street. this mural is located in the downtown neighborhood. it’s in close proximity to businesses, restaurants, and public transportation. the surrounding area also includes forman park, historical archbold stadium and a veterans memorial. this, along with the surrounding expensive apartments in the downtown area contrast with the lower income neighborhood of the west side. the type of art displayed in the streets, graffiti versus commissioned murals, may be an indicator of status or urban investment.

i chose to include this in my photo essay because of the candid shot of people gathered around to inspect the art. this makes me wonder about the implications of tourists to these street art attractions. increasing the number of visitors to a location for art will surely boost the local economy. how might this impact the property values of surrounding homes?

art that is criminalized, censored or permitted is proof of the history of the area. this is a complex issue, as street art in itself is not dangerous. it encourages beautification, allows for self expression and creates a sense of identity. the problems involved are rooted deeper than the paint on the walls. in order to maintain the true culture of a neighborhood, the art of local residents should be encouraged and permitted. gentrification poses a risk when outside influences get a larger say in what should be displayed, as long term residents will end up bearing the burden if the end result is artwashing.

these photos were captured in kirk park in the south side of syracuse. like the near west side, this neighborhood was also shaped through redlining, and therefore exemplifies racial disparity and income inequality. the community center and pool house are both covered in murals. the murals depict a sense of pride and place in the community. this is evidence of organization and public participation. the coordination of colors, patterns, and the representation of a sports team are proof of this. the inclusion of this art fosters a feeling of community. it keeps the park well maintained and visited. the community center itself serves as an attraction. because of the local identity established when looking at the art, it can be claimed that this art properly serves the neighborhood, rather than just appealing to the local government and city officials.

this is a close-up shot of another mural in kirk park. instead of paint, this mural is made up of clay/stone. the etchings included were submitted by children in the community. imagine walking through a park, and seeing your own handwriting in an engaging, public display. this helps curate a sense of pride, familiarity and a feeling of being at home. this mural attempts to cover large issues from the perspectives of young students. one example reads, “peace in the park”, written on falling leaves. one rather striking inclusion reads, “when struggling with all earthly strife seek answers on the tree of life”. these submissions depicted on the wall are proof that community, culture and spirituality serve important roles in art.

public participation should be encouraged in murals and other forms of art. the example of kirk park in syracuse’s south side is an example of how this participation can amplify local, diverse voices while creating a beautiful display.

this is an act of limiting self expression and censorship by the city. doing this continues the criminalization of graffiti artists. it poses the question, what kind of art is allowed? and where can it be displayed? the answers to these questions have strong implications as to how much wealth a neighborhood has, as well as how much community involvement is allowed.

public art has implications that contribute to the establishment of a complex issue. stigmas and stereotypes can hinder the validity and legality of graffiti, while the processes of approving and commissioning murals can lead to gentrification. the challenge urban spaces face today is finding a balance between these extremes that allows art to foster identity and pride. one approach is to allow legal spaces for graffiti, such as the abandoned building in the near westside. this way, the reputation of graffiti artists can be improved and complex paintings of community significance be created. legal spaces allow everyone to be artists, not just those hired and approved by a committee. this also counters the risk of artwashing, and therefore reduces the chance of displacement, which is a threat that has historically loomed over the residents of syracuse.

sources:

daily orange. (2021, march 2). between 2 worlds: how syracuse’s racist housing policies created a racial divide. the daily orange. 

http://dailyorange.com/2020/09/2-worlds-syracuses-housing-policies-created-racial-

divide/

ibrahim, s. (2018, february 19). near west side. city blocks: syracuse.

https://mag.syr.edu/syracuse-blocks/near-westside/

onondaga county health department. (2017). mapping the food environment in syracuse,

new york 2017.

once a week, rain or shine, i — as well as groups of students from 12 high schools on the lower west side of manhattan — would spend three to four hours in a boathouse on pier 66 at hudson river park. for the first 30 minutes students would catch up with fellow sailors and instructors before conducting various water quality tests. we would check the ph level, confirm change in temperature, and record the direction and speed of the current in order to prepare for a sail. feeling the brisk and fresh air of the hudson river shoot by you while sitting at the bow is a rush, not to mention the various other sailboats, tourist vessels, and barges trailing off the port and starboard sides we had to keep in mind! 

these simple, yet impregnable, moments on and around the hudson river, and the long island sound in my third year, left a permanent, venerable impact on my relationship with the natural world. the combination of environmental and engineering sciences coupled with live experiences with nature and water systems in an urban setting established my passions for science communication, community activism, and environmental governance.

what is hrcs?

the sailing program i joined, hudson river community sailing (hrcs), is an educational nonprofit that partnered with several high schools in lower manhattan to teach sailing and maritime skills and offer for-credit classes.

to be honest, hrcs was one of the reasons why i went to my high school, lab high school for collaborative studies. i had always struggled with math throughout my childhood even though i was very passionate about science and understanding the natural world. even though other schools had better facilities or more class options, i wanted an interdisciplinary program that would foster a sense of community while encouraging an appreciation of stem fields.

so when i learned that i had a chance to sail in my spare time while receiving academic support for math, i knew that this would be an incredible opportunity.

skills and lessons 

hrcs is structured in three stages: sailing by numbers, ocean literacy, and first mates. as a first year, the course sailing by numbers delves into basic mathematical concepts in algebra and geometry while incorporating on-water sailing and boat-building components. the year ends with a sailing trip to dyckman marina, another hrcs port in inwood park. students in this program earn 1 math credit and 1 gym credit. 

as a second year, the course ocean literacy focuses on ecology, environmental science, and meteorology, while implementing this knowledge on the water through more advanced sailing navigation. at the end of the fall, students will sail past the statue of liberty. my trip to the palisades was truly an eye-opening experience in that it made me realize the built environment (e.g., new york city) and the natural environment (e.g., the palisades) were co-equal parts of the human experience. at the end of the spring, students sail to palisades park and engage in water quality testing. running my fingers through the water while the sailboat maneuvered the hudson river coast for other vessels and marine debris reinforced this notion that humans are just one part of the earth, and yet our impact was far more intrusive and toxic than it should be. picking up litter and trash throughout the palisade trails while interacting with a baby raccoon, deer, and other wildlife convinced me of the direct, positive impact humanity can have with fellow lifeforms if we set the intention and take action.

for the remainder of their time at hrcs, students have the opportunity to choose a series of specialty tracks — skipper, exploring, racing, and building — in first mates. during my two years as a first mate, i was a skipper, explorer and builder because i wanted to gain a broad understanding of what i could learn about environmental problems, solutions, and their impacts.

as a skipper, most of the time is spent on nautical skills and operating various forms of on-water-vehicles, including catamarans, dinghies, j24s and j40s. j24s and j40s are classic sailing boats with one main hull/body, with the numbers referring to the length of the boats themselves. a catamaran is a boat with two parallel-sized hulls and a wide-beam connecting the two. meanwhile, a dinghy is a small vessel that allows sailors to get to and from the docks and the sailboats. one of my favorite pastimes while on the water was practicing emergency maneuvers around a substantial piece of marine debris (e.g., car tires, rotten wood with nails or metal, plastic bins, etc.) because i knew that it would have a direct impact on the health of marine life, as well as prevent any unnecessary accidents for other vessels. in other words, the notion of the gaia hypothesis principle — living and non-living organisms interact in a symbiotic manner that perpetuates life as we know it — was instilled before i even learned about it in an academic setting.

the explorers are responsible for understanding the logistics of sailing expeditions and carrying out one themselves. there are instructors present during the preparation of and the trips themselves, however it is the explorers’ responsibility to know what supplies to pack, which courses to set, what the weather forecasts will be (in real time), among other things. during one of our trips into new york city, we split up into groups along the gowanus canal in brooklyn — one of new york state’s 87 superfund sites — to conduct water quality tests and monitor oyster growth and health. gowanus was marked as a site in 2008 and restoration began in 2013, approximately two years before we went on this trip. even though the gowanus canal was an environmental and public health disaster for a long time, it was inspiring to see the rejuvenation of wildlife and revitalization of the built environment around it.

builders have plenty of creativity to utilize woodworking and engineering skills to build a myriad of projects. in the past, students have built dinghies of varying lengths and shapes as a way to supply more vessels for the program. i worked in a group that brainstormed and prepared a self-catching marine debris contraption that we planned to place in the hudson river right next to the hrcs boathouse.

the impacts

i had the incredible opportunity to explore my passion for social and environmental issues during my time at hrcs. more than that, i also learned practical skills while bonding with other high school students that i probably would not have met otherwise.

i had the opportunity to be a skipper, explorer and builder during my four semesters in the first mates program. as a skipper, i gained my new york state boat operator’s license which gave me permission to operate any aquatic vehicle less than 65 feet in length. moreover, i acquired plenty of experience on the water through hours of sailing, rigging, and derigging j24s. 

as i mentioned earlier, as a builder i worked with a team that designed a rudimentary, pulley system device, made of twine and pcp rods, that would hypothetically catch marine debris in a passive way. even though it never made it further than various models, the combination of physically designing and creating these models coupled with determining an environmental impact assessment encouraged me to take on a holistic approach to multi-faceted problems such as marine-debris collection in an urban environment. as a city kid, it was incredibly profound to have constant interactions with wildlife because it instilled a kinship to the natural world which, i believe, mirrored that of transcendentalist thinkers like ralph waldo emerson and henry david thoreau. the fluttering wings of geese and seagulls wavering over the  mirage of blue and green waves on the hudson reminds me of a quote by the former: “every natural action is graceful.”

physiological effects of urban sprawl can be measured by the increased body mass index of residents in areas of high-income inequality and low access to healthy food options. urban sprawl creates food deserts because there is often little space for grocery stores or food markets. instead, land use in cities is highly contended and only the most economically viable businesses can sustain themselves in an urban environment or risk being outcompeted by larger chains. another effect of urban sprawl is the creation of ‘heat islands,’ or an increase in ambient temperature due to a lack of green space and the abundance of heat-absorbing blacktop surfaces. this abundance of blacktop and roads results in reduced impervious cover, in turn increasing the potential for run off and deposition of contaminants in the city. the negative health effects of urban sprawl continue to grow, and more will surely be discovered as the phenomenon continues to be researched. urban sprawl began in the middle of the 20th century and its consequences have only recently been studied. therefore, i have cause to believe that more serious health risks will be discovered in association with the effects of urban sprawl, such as an increase in food deserts and prevalence of heat islands.  

in speaking with professor teron, he enlightened me on one of the effects of urban sprawl in our own city of syracuse, that being the i-81 highway. the viaduct beneath the highway is quite literally crumbling due to poor construction practices and frequent collisions, and it has seen use far past its life expectancy. not only is the highway technically inefficient but, according to teron, purposefully runs through a community that experiences high levels of income inequality and is demographically diverse. one of the primary urban infrastructure planners in the 20th century was robert moses and he tended to propose highways that ran right through minority communities, such as i-81 in syracuse. 

in evaluating how to address issues of urban sprawl and environmentally unjust urban infrastructure planning, we must be direct and transparent in our goals and the steps to achieving those goals. redevelopment efforts, and many efforts to improve the health of the environment, sit comfortably behind the frame of ‘sustainability’ without truly defining what is sustainable. this results in stagnation of policy and action. in contrast, we need to employ goals that specifically target individual cities and their unique environmental hazards. some of these specific frames include “low carbon cities,” “food secure cities,” or cities that can promote “urban resilience.” with more specific and transparent guidelines, we can better approach the communities affected by urban sprawl and their unique struggles with a plan that can target the environmental weaknesses of individual cities. 

overall, the point of my podcast and accompanying article is not to propose one blanket solution to the issue of urban sprawl. instead, it is a call to action for urban infrastructure planners, environmental justice advocates, and urban communities to work together to redevelop our cities so that we can all live equitably and with equal access to public services.

as rightly said by linus torvalds, to build for the future, “we needn’t reinvent the wheel every time.” instead, we can take what already works and adapt it to our needs. snøhetta, a norwegian design firm has shown us exactly how we can incorporate culturally and environmentally appropriate designs while catering to social and economic issues. they develop and construct buildings that produce more energy than they consume over the course of their lifetime, such as the powerhouse kjorbo project.

in 2015, they designed the first powerhouse educational building, drøbak montessori school, on a forested site in drøbak, norway. the design is derived from the energy concept, the montessori pedagogy, the physical context and a tight budget. the architecture is considered a social and educational tool, with the powerhouse concept as the main formative element. the rectangular building is positioned close to the forest edges, creating a large outdoor play area in close connection to the surrounding nature. passive measures such as a compact volume, high u-values and materials that are low in embodied energy, ensure the building´s low energy demand.

in the commercial space, in collaboration with arctic adventures of norway, asplan viak and skanska, snøhetta has designed “svart” the world’s first powerhouse hotel, at the foot of the svartisen glacier that runs through meløy municipality in northern norway. “svart” is the first building to be built after the energy positive powerhouse standard in a northern climate. not only does this hotel reduce its yearly energy consumption by approximately 85% compared to a modern hotel, but it also produces its own energy – an absolute “must” in this precious arctic environment, while preserving the natural environment of the site and leaving a minimal ecological footprint.

svart’s identity is inspired by both the unique arctic nature and climate and the hotel’s circular form with 360-degree views. to minimize the environmental footprint, the circular body of “svart” is to be extended from the shoreline by the foot of the almlifjellet mountain and into the clear waters of the holandsfjorden fjord. the circular shape provides a panoramic view of the fjord and an experience of living in proximity with nature. the construction is inspired local vernacular architecture in the form of the “fiskehjell” (a-shaped wooden structure for drying fish) and the “rorbue” (a traditional type of seasonal house used by fishermen). the rorbue reference translates into the hotel’s supporting structure which is built from weather resistant wooden poles stretching several meters below the surface of the fjord. the poles ensure that the building physically places a minimal footprint in the pristine nature and gives the building an almost transparent appearance. the precious nature surrounding the hotel can only be accessed by boat, and there are plans to introduce an energy neutral boat shuttle from the city of bodø to the hotel. 

to reach the powerhouse standard, several cutting-edge design choices have been made. for example, the architects have conducted an extensive mapping of how solar radiation behaves in relation to mountainous context throughout the year to optimize the harvest of energy. the result of the study has been an importance premise for the circular design of the hotel, and both hotel rooms, restaurants and terraces are strategically placed to exploit the sun’s energy throughout the day and seasons. the hotel’s roof is clad with norwegian solar panels produced with clean hydro energy reducing the carbon footprint even further. due to the long summer nights of this area, the annual production of solar energy will be significant. secluded terraces provide a shadow play in the façade of the hotel while also ensuring privacy. the facades protect against insolation from the sun in the summer when the sun is high in the sky, removing the need for artificial cooling. during the winter months, when the sun is low in the sky, the large windows of the façade allows for a maximum of insolation to exploit the sun’s natural thermal energy. materials with low embodied energy have been used to reach the powerhouse standard. 

drawing from snøhetta’s efforts to tackle systemic design challenges while accounting for climate change, social inequity and urbanization, building for the future is an iterative process where we build by the bits and not by the lots. where we no longer employ the cookie cutter approach but build with communities, while integrating the natural environment. particularly in indigenous and fragile lands, constrained by resources, we build communities to enable them to realize their full potential by upholding their culture and dignity while being environmentally responsive. building for the future means creating buildings that matter, buildings that help us envision a future greater than any individual. let us not create buildings of the future. let us build for the future.

washington — a proposal to immediately unlock $1 billion set aside to restore abandoned mine lands in the future has the support of congressional leaders, but lawmakers in key states are skeptical.

the bill would amend the surface mining control and reclamation act of 1977 to make an additional $200 million per year available starting in 2017 for restoration projects that would pave the way to economic development projects. without the change, the money cannot be used until 2021.

currently, abandoned mine land funding is provided through industry fees and goes to high priority projects. bob scott, director of the kentucky abandoned mine lands division, said that the proposal would allow spending on lower priority projects if they offer a promise of economic or community development at the site.

rep. hal rogers, r-ky., who sponsored the bill, said that it ensures the fund would be used for its intended purpose, but gets money out of the door faster to reclaim the land and repurpose it for job creation and economic development.

“these dollars in the (abandoned mine land) fund are just sitting there languishing at a time when coal communities are in desperate need,” rogers said. “there is no logical reason for opposing the acceleration of the release of these funds.”

the bill would allow this money to be used on abandoned mine lands that pose an extreme danger to public health, safety and property; sites that threaten adverse effects to public health and safety; and sites with degradation of land or water resources due to coal mining.

the house committee on natural resources unanimously passed the bill in june. the bill has 29 co-sponsors, a number that continues to grow. rogers’ goal is to get the measure through congress by the end of the year.

despite bipartisan and leadership support, some of the states with abandoned mine lands are giving the proposal mixed reviews.

pennsylvania and west virginia, two of the biggest would-be beneficiaries of the bill with $5 billion and $1.5 billion in unfunded abandoned mine land liabilities respectively, support the bill. kentucky, which has the fourth largest amount of unfunded liabilities at $475 million, also supports it.

“the current inventory of abandoned mine land sites in kentucky, the cost to reclaim all those, is over $400 million,” scott said. “our current annual grant is around $12 million. so you see, at the amount of funding that we have, we would never completely eliminate the current known hazards.”

but kansas, the state with the third largest amount of unfunded liabilities at $754 million, opposes the plan, according to greg conrad, executive director of the interstate mining compact commission, a multi-state organization to stimulate mining growth and address problems such as reclamation he said that the states that are opposed, like kansas, or skeptical, such as indiana and alabama, are concerned that the money will be misused.

officials from the kansas department of health and environment surface mining section said they do not comment on pending legislation.

conrad said the main challenge of the bill lies in ensuring that the money is used for its intended purpose: high-priority abandoned mine land reclamation.

“we’ve been at this for a good three years now, trying to find the most appropriate approach to address a mechanism by which some amount of money can be released from the (abandoned mine land) trust fund to address projects that have an economic revitalization or economic development element to them,” he said. 

he also said that past uses of abandoned mine land funds to remove obstacles for economic development have been successful because they have been targeted, with an eye to the primary goal of restoring the land.

due to the varying opinions of the states, the imcc has not been able to take a firm position on the legislation, conrad said. 

unfunded abandoned mine land liabilities are currently $10 billion, according to a march house subcommittee on energy and mineral resources hearing memo.

the 1977 surface mining law created a system for these abandoned mine lands in which reclamation activities are funded by a fee imposed on current mining operations. the abandoned mine reclamation fund is predicted to have raised $11.2 billion by the end of this fiscal year, according to the hearing memo.

each state with sites still affected by abandoned coal mining operations receives 50 percent of the fees collected in the state as well as an additional sum based on the amount of historic coal production there. the department of treasury directs funds to states that do not qualify as still affected by abandoned coal mining operations as needed, but they are limited to 50 percent of the fees collected from coal mining within that state.

rogers’ proposal would release $1 billion from the balance in the fund. this money would otherwise go towards restoring abandoned mine lands after the fee system expires in 2021.

conrad said that the future of the bill depends on the congressional budget office cost analysis and the speed with which the bill gets through the house and senate.

“if this doesn’t get done in the first session of this congress that will finish in december, it may be real tough to move it in the second session,” conrad said. “that will be an election year and things are going to get squirrelly.”

our video looks at the benefits of bringing together the very young and the very old, and how better planning of our built environment could make for a happier, more healthy living environment for all.