#CIVIL ENGINEERING

[reasonsforhope]

"With “green corridors” that mimic the natural forest, the Colombian city is driving down temperatures — and could become five degrees cooler over the next few decades.

In the face of a rapidly heating planet, the City of Eternal Spring — nicknamed so thanks to its year-round temperate climate — has found a way to keep its cool.

Previously, Medellín had undergone years of rapid urban expansion, which led to a severe urban heat island effect — raising temperatures in the city to significantly higher than in the surrounding suburban and rural areas. Roads and other concrete infrastructure absorb and maintain the sun’s heat for much longer than green infrastructure.

“Medellín grew at the expense of green spaces and vegetation,” says Pilar Vargas, a forest engineer working for City Hall. “We built and built and built. There wasn’t a lot of thought about the impact on the climate. It became obvious that had to change.”

Efforts began in 2016 under Medellín’s then mayor, Federico Gutiérrez (who, after completing one term in 2019, was re-elected at the end of 2023). The city launched a new approach to its urban development — one that focused on people and plants.

The $16.3 million initiative led to the creation of 30 Green Corridors along the city’s roads and waterways, improving or producing more than 70 hectares of green space, which includes 20 kilometers of shaded routes with cycle lanes and pedestrian paths.

These plant and tree-filled spaces — which connect all sorts of green areas such as the curb strips, squares, parks, vertical gardens, sidewalks, and even some of the seven hills that surround the city — produce fresh, cooling air in the face of urban heat. The corridors are also designed to mimic a natural forest with levels of low, medium and high plants, including native and tropical plants, bamboo grasses and palm trees.

Heat-trapping infrastructure like metro stations and bridges has also been greened as part of the project and government buildings have been adorned with green roofs and vertical gardens to beat the heat. The first of those was installed at Medellín’s City Hall, where nearly 100,000 plants and 12 species span the 1,810 square meter surface.

“It’s like urban acupuncture,” says Paula Zapata, advisor for Medellín at C40 Cities, a global network of about 100 of the world’s leading mayors. “The city is making these small interventions that together act to make a big impact.”

At the launch of the project, 120,000 individual plants and 12,500 trees were added to roads and parks across the city. By 2021, the figure had reached 2.5 million plants and 880,000 trees. Each has been carefully chosen to maximize their impact.

“The technical team thought a lot about the species used. They selected endemic ones that have a functional use,” explains Zapata.

The 72 species of plants and trees selected provide food for wildlife, help biodiversity to spread and fight air pollution. A study, for example, identified Mangifera indica as the best among six plant species found in Medellín at absorbing PM2.5 pollution — particulate matter that can cause asthma, bronchitis and heart disease — and surviving in polluted areas due to its “biochemical and biological mechanisms.”

And the urban planting continues to this day.

The groundwork is carried out by 150 citizen-gardeners like Pineda, who come from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds, with the support of 15 specialized forest engineers. Pineda is now the leader of a team of seven other gardeners who attend to corridors all across the city, shifting depending on the current priorities...

“I’m completely in favor of the corridors,” says [Victoria Perez, another citizen-gardener], who grew up in a poor suburb in the city of 2.5 million people. “It really improves the quality of life here.”

Wilmar Jesus, a 48-year-old Afro-Colombian farmer on his first day of the job, is pleased about the project’s possibilities for his own future. “I want to learn more and become better,” he says. “This gives me the opportunity to advance myself.”

The project’s wider impacts are like a breath of fresh air. Medellín’s temperatures fell by 2°C in the first three years of the program, and officials expect a further decrease of 4 to 5C over the next few decades, even taking into account climate change. In turn, City Hall says this will minimize the need for energy-intensive air conditioning...

In addition, the project has had a significant impact on air pollution. Between 2016 and 2019, the level of PM2.5 fell significantly, and in turn the city’s morbidity rate from acute respiratory infections decreased from 159.8 to 95.3 per 1,000 people [Note: That means the city's rate of people getting sick with lung/throat/respiratory infections.]

There’s also been a 34.6 percent rise in cycling in the city, likely due to the new bike paths built for the project, and biodiversity studies show that wildlife is coming back — one sample of five Green Corridors identified 30 different species of butterfly.

Other cities are already taking note. Bogotá and Barranquilla have adopted similar plans, among other Colombian cities, and last year São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in South America, began expanding its corridors after launching them in 2022.

“For sure, Green Corridors could work in many other places,” says Zapata."

-via Reasons to Be Cheerful, March 4, 2024

[odinsblog]

Nothing to see here, just fire + floods + climate change

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Remembering Rivers Past

Our landscapes have changed dramatically over the last 200 years of urban development, but traces of the land's past still remain. Many streams and rivers that once ran on the surface persist in underground culverts. Bruce Willen's "Ghost Rivers" installation highlights the path of one such waterway. (Image credits: Public Mechanics and F. Hamilton, see alt text; installation: B. Willen; via Colossal) Read the full article

[bleue-flora]

Ok, I recently wrote an essay [here] talking about the definition and duties of civil engineering as well as the ethics because of the brain rot @swordfright gave me with calling Dream Sam’s ultimate engineering project. So, because I actually am a civil engineer I took it upon myself to design the title and summary of quantities sheets just like I do at work for roads but with Dream as the project instead. And in honor of angst day sponsored by @sixteenth-day-event, I figured I’d share it because I feel like it kinda works for the prison of the mind prompt.

“Sam’s “ultimate engineering project” he deemed too damaged like a bumpy road or crumbling building that wasn’t worthy of patching and filling in the cracks or reinforcing, that’s too eroded to be fixed and preserved. So, Sam strived to tear him down to the bedrock so he could remake, remold, and reengineer Dream according to his design for the common safety, public health and well-fair.”

{These are very similar to the actual sheets I make day to day, which I shall not share for the sake of doxing my location, but yea pretty much everything has a significance. Some of it doesn’t necessarily make sense but that was because I was more so taking inventory of what we see in lore (so you know I counted ;) lol)}

[mivolasvivi]

This goes so hard

[scavengedluxury]

Erzsébet bridge under construction, 1900. From the Budapest Municipal Photography Company archive.

[studywitheden]

At Uni Library.

We have this study corner where you are can play board games, catch up with your friend, sit on the floor with cushions and tables all provided, though the silent zone is not followed here in this corner, the second floor with more strict looking librarians are more for concentrated and serious studying.

I can stay here the entire day, and do my own thing.

[supplyside]

Tallest buildings on every continent

[bluecote]

Civil Engineering

March 1967.

From the Husband & Co Library, Sheffield.

[jupiterovprsten]

the ceiling

[bethelighttoyourowndarkness]

How to stay focused when studying.

Staying focused while studying can be challenging, but here are some tips that might help:

Record Yourself Studying: Set up your webcam or phone camera to record a video of yourself studying. This creates accountability and can help you stay focused.

Use Focusmate: This tool pairs you with a real-life accountability partner. You must turn on your webcam during the study session, which can help you stay on task.

Prepare Mentally: If you don’t feel like starting work, take a minute to prepare yourself mentally. Set a timer for a minute and tell yourself that you’ll start work when the timer goes off.

Eliminate Distractions: Reduce or get rid of as many distractions as possible. This could include moving to a quiet area, turning off notifications on your phone, or closing out of non-essential programs on your computer.

Drink Coffee in Small Doses: Caffeine can positively affect sustained attention, but it’s important to consume it in moderation.

Have a Study Plan: Organize your study plan and break it into small steps.

Use Smart Learning Techniques: Employ effective study techniques that work best for you.

Stay Fueled and Hydrated: Make sure you’re eating and drinking enough. Being hungry or dehydrated can affect your ability to concentrate.

Prioritize Sleep: Regular sleep is essential for maintaining focus. Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night.

Set Goals: Having clear goals for each study session can give you a sense of direction and make it easier to stay focused.

Remember, everyone is different, so what works for one person might not work for another. It’s important to try different strategies and see what works best for you. Good luck with your studies! 📚

[lindahall]

Thomas Telford – Scientist of the Day

Thomas Telford, a Scottish civil engineer, was born Aug. 9, 1757, in southern Scotland. 

read more...

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Who Killed the Colorado River?

From its source high in the snowy Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River runs through two countries and five states on its way to the Gulf of California. Or at least it used to. The river hasn't met the sea in decades.  (Video and image credit: PBS Terra) Read the full article

[hometoursandotherstuff]

From Civil Engineering Daily.

[eopederson]

Crane, Lock and Dam on the Danube at the Iron Gate, Romania - (Macara, Lacăt și Baraj pe Dunăre la Poarta de Fier, România), 2024.

The immense dam with a navigation lock across the Danube just below the Iron Gate is an impressive piece of late 20th century civil engineering. The graffiti on the lock wall is in Russian, for the ruling language for navigation on the lower Danube is Russian, though Russia has been removed from the ruling commission since the Ukrainian invasion. German is the language on the upper navigable portions of the river.

[scavengedluxury]

Erzsébet bridge under construction, Budapest, 1901. From the Budapest Municipal Photography Company archive.