Theoretic Sketches

Here's a sketch I whipped up to better explain my project to everyone. I didn't have access to a scanner so I had to take a picture of my picture.  This made the colors hard to make out in areas, but the point should still come across. If further explanation is needed, don't be afraid to ask. Be gentle with your judgement. It's no Mona Lisa.

Stay Tuned

An abstract outline and some drawings I plan to scan will be up tonight. Thanks for all of the insight and comments. I'm truly greatful.

Thesis Question

Here's my first attempt at a thesis question for my research project.  I encourage honest criticism as this will mold my train of thought for the remainder my research. Thanks!

         What combination of sustainable stormwater drainage methods will allow for the least amount of water to reach the city's drainage system and best suit Thompson Rivers University's parking lot S?

My Research in a Nutshell

A recent post brought to my attention the fact that many people probably don't quite understand what my project is really focusing on. Here it is in a nutshell.  I'm trying to break the mold of just draining the water into the city's drainage system by getting as much of it into the ground as possible.  By recharging the groundwater more vegetation can be grown with natural irrigation creating a more aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly site.  The water runoff that comes from roads and parking lots contains pollutants that can get into our river system if we let it all get to the city's drainage system and can even cause flooding in areas with heavier rainfall.  Through the use of bioretention swales, permeable pavement, treatment ponds, and many other landscaping techniques, this water can mostly be used before it ever gets to the city's drainage system.

Thanks for the interest!

Random Cartoon Break

Here's a funny cartoon I stumbled on. Every now and then you gotta take a break from all of the learning and blogging to have a chuckle.

I found this cartoon at www.csrplus.co.uk .

Bioretention Swales

Bioretention swales at Evergreen Walk Mall in South Windsor, Connecticut.  These help to slow and treat runoff from parking lots before it gets to the city's stormwater system. This picture was found at http://www.nemo.uconn.edu./

Grasscrete Pavers

Here's a pretty cool product out there called grasscrete.  I'll have to look into maintenance on this product before I get too attached, but it could be a great idea for lot 'S'. The image was found at http://www.grasscrete.com/.

View of Lot 'S' from Google Earth

There's a lot to be done here!

New Topic Research Proposal

Sustainable Stormwater Management: Paving the Way to a Greener Future

Summary and Statement of Proposed Project

We are living in a time in which sustainability and green design is becoming more desired by the general public, but most of this desire and development is focused on the residential aspect.  To truly make an impact on the environment we have to start directing more attention to sustainable roadways and parking; more specifically, sustainable stormwater management.  In this project I intend to search for and study various sustainable storm water management methods and tools in order to create the most environmentally beneficial and feasible parking lot possible at lot ‘S’ at Thompson Rivers University.

Purpose

I will research, in depth, various practices and tools used in sustainable stormwater management such as permeable pavers, bioretention swales/ditches, soil amendments, engineered soil, and many other techniques that are used all over the world. 

I will use my new gained knowledge to put together a plan to create the most suitable and feasible sustainable parking lot possible at lot ‘S’ at Thompson Rivers University.

A well designed sustainable parking lot would reduce the heat island effect, improve recharge of the groundwater, maximize green space and oxygen production, reduce greenhouse emission, and minimize maintenance.  It would also be aesthetically pleasing and would help Thompson Rivers University set an example for others to follow.

Goals and Objectives of the Project

I would like to meet with local Civil technology firms to discuss what measures are currently being taken to improve sustainability in Kamloops, as well as discuss possible ways to improve future developments of our city’s roadways and parking lots.

I hope to meet with the TRU Environmental Advisory Committee to discuss my plans for lot ‘S’ on campus and the possibility of transforming my ideas into reality.

Methodology and Analytical Approach

·    I will research academic sources in the topics of sustainable stormwater management, sustainable urban planning, city planning, low impact development, landscape architecture, and environmental restoration.

·    I will research existing sustainable parking lots around the world and make contact with the planners and developers to discuss the pros and cons(if any) of the methods used.

·    I will contact local developers and planners to discuss currently used methods as well as what methods could be used in the future to create a more sustainable city here in Kamloops.

·    I will calculate the amount of storm water that currently gets to the city’s storm water system from lot ‘S’, and then compare it to a calculated amount that would come from my possible sustainable lot.  If successful, little or no water should get to the city’s stormwater system.

·    I will develop a detailed site plan and section of lot ‘S’ with all of the improvements in place.

Related Information

In the book Building the Ecological City(White, 2002), the many negative effects of vast amounts of stormwater getting flushed through the city’s water system are greatly explained.  This will help me to better explain the need for change to planners and developers.

In  the book Introduction to Stormwater: Concept, Purpose and Design(Ferguson, 1998), the fundamental knowledge of stormwater and its behaviour is explained in great detail.  I will use the knowledge found in this book to better understand storm water and how it will react to certain methods that I plan to study.

Dissemination of Work

My work done throughout this research project will be made available to the public by way of:

·    An online blog that I will continually update with progress reports

·    Possible presentations at relevant conferences

·    Presentations to appropriate people in the industry, i.e. city planners, developers, etc.

·    Possible implementation into a real project if ultimately successful with goals

References Cited

White, R.R. (2002) Building the ecological city.

Cambridge, England: Woodhead.

Ferguson, B. K. (1998) Introduction to stormwater: concept, purpose and design.

New York, NY, USA: Wiley

Academic Sources

Figueres, C.M., Tortajada, C., & Rockstrom, J. (Eds.) (2003) Rethinking water management: innovative approaches to contemporary issues.                                                                   

 London, UK: Earthscan.

James, W., Irvine, K.N., McBean, E.A., & Pitt, R.E. (Eds.) (2004) Effective modelling of urban water systems.

Guelph, Ontario, Canada: CHI.

Marsalek, J., Sztruhar, D., Guilianelli, M., & Urbonas, B. (Eds.) (2003) Enhancing urban environment by upgrading and restoration.

Dordecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer.

Stephenson, D. (2005) Water services management.

London, UK: IWA.

Dunnett, N., & Hitchmough J. (Eds.) (2004) The dynamic landscape.

London, UK: Spon Press.

Margolis, L., & Robinson, A. (2007) Living systems: innovative materials and technologies for landscape architecture.

Berlin, Germany: Birkhauser.

Miller, D., & de Roo, G. (Eds.) (2004) Integrating city planning and environmental improvement: practicable strategies for sustainable urban development.                       

Aldershot, Hants, England; Burlington, VT, USA: Ashgate.

Farr, D. (2008) Sustainable urbanism: urban design with nature.                                        

 Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley.

Contribution of the Project to my Academic Goals and Objectives

My academic objective is to graduate from the Architectural and Engineering Technology program at Thompson Rivers University, and eventually obtain employment in the Civil Technology field.  I truly believe that the knowledge I gain from this project will give me a great advantage when seeking employment after graduation, as sustainability is becoming essential to our planets future.

New Topic: Coming to a blog near you!

       In order to aid in my goals of working in the Civil technology field, I have decided to change my research topic to a more Civil specific topic.  My new topic will be storm water management on a site.  The specifics will be released in the form of another proposal and a thesis question once I have discussed the details with John.  Everything should be up before next weekend.  Let the anticipation begin!

ARET 2220 Research Proposal

Summary and Statement of Proposed Project

People today are finally becoming aware of the necessity of sustainability as our world is withering before our eyes.  Sustainable housing is quickly becoming a hot topic, which is great, but I feel that we need to be thinking bigger and better than a sustainable house.  In order to drastically make a difference the idea of sustainable communities needs to be brought to the foreground.  In this project I intend to study the key ingredients in successful sustainable communities around the world and determine the most feasible way to create such communities in a location like Kamloops.

Purpose

I will research, in depth, key elements to creating a successful sustainable community such as land usage and development, alternative energy sources such as biomass, as well as the incorporation of New Urbanism.

I will use my new gained knowledge to put together a plan to create the most suitable and feasible sustainable community possible in Kamloops.

A successful sustainable community would improve Kamloops environmentally, economically, and socially. As a city we could set an example that other cities would strive to follow, in a worldly quest to create a healthier and happier planet Earth.

Goals and Objectives of the Project

I would like to meet with Kamloops city planners and discuss the findings of my research and the potential improvements that could be made to our city.  The creation of a sustainable community in Kamloops is not something that can be done over night, but with proper planning and management it is something that could be achieved in the near future.  If I can at least spread my passion for this to the right people and provide the statistics to back it, I truly believe that over time this idea will become a reality.

Sustainable communities greatly benefit the ecosystem, but can have an even greater impact on the people.  A well planned community creates unity and neighbourliness in a world that is beginning to greatly lose its grasp on these amazing qualities.  It also creates a sense of pride in the residents, giving them the ability to make a difference in the world by supporting something so beneficial.

On a personal note, I feel that the knowledge I gain and the contacts I make during this research project will give me a great advantage when it comes time to find employment after I graduate from Thompson Rivers University.

Methodology and Analytical Approach

·         Research academic sources in the topics of sustainable communities, sustainable urban planning, city planning, new urbanism, and alternative energy sources.

·         Research existing sustainable communities around the world and make contact with the planners and developers of these communities to discuss problems faced before, during, and after development, as well the solutions to these problems.

·         Study the community plans set in place for Kamloops and contact city planners about the progress of the plans as well as future goals for the city.  Compare Kamloops’ community plans to those of cities that currently have sustainable communities to find similarities and differences.

·         Determine the pros and cons of developing a sustainable community in the Kamloops area as well as the cost and affect of such a development.

·         Develop a detailed plan to create a sustainable community suitable to Kamloops’ environment and climate.

·         Discuss my plan with city planners and developers and determine possibility of future implementation of these plans.

Related Information

In the book Living Green: Communities that Sustain (Fosket & Mamo, 2009), various sustainable communities and ways of contributing to sustainable living are described. In my studies, I will look deeper into each development studied in this book and compare the different methods in order to find the most suitable way to create a sustainable community in Kamloops.  I will look into ways to combine aspects from different projects and incorporate brand new technologies that have come along very recently to create the best possible community, while creating the smallest possible carbon footprint.

In Sustainable Urban Planning (Riddell, 2004), a vast amount of information is given on the theory and practice behind sustainable urban planning. This valuable information, coupled with my extensive research on successful sustainable communities, will be utilized to give me an advantage when dealing with city planners and developers and will help to further my chances of reaching my ultimate goal, to one day be involved in the creation of sustainable community here in Kamloops.

Dissemination of Work

My work done throughout this research project will be made available to the public by way of:

·         An online blog that I will continually update with progress reports

·         Possible presentations at relevant conferences

·         Presentations to appropriate people in the industry, i.e. city planners, developers, etc.

·         Possible implementation into a real project if ultimately successful with goals

Contribution of the Project to my Academic Goals and Objectives

Growing up in the city of Kamloops I hadn’t, until recently, realized how much we have succumbed to urban sprawl and its economically, environmentally, and socially destructive ways.  This is a common occurrence that plagues most of the world, but is extremely prevalent in Canada.  It is because of this poor city planning that cities are losing their sense of unity, reducing our ability to make changes for the better.  Another major issue we are facing is the decline of the world’s natural resources and the destruction of our eco-system.  These are extremely serious threats that need to be faced and dealt with as soon as possible for the sake of our future generations.  One way to make an immediate impact on all of these problems is the implementation of sustainable community planning.  Sustainable communities help to restore unity, the economy, and the environment.  For years they have been thought of as the way of the future, but I firmly believe that we are running out of time and need to make sustainable communities the way of today.

In implementing my project, I will do extensive research in city planning, existing sustainable communities, as well as alternate power sources available in today’s technologically advanced world.  I will use all of this knowledge to put together a detailed plan to create a better Kamloops for tomorrow, and eventually a better world for our future generations to grow old in.  Even if I can spread the knowledge and passion enough to get more people thinking in the right direction I will have accomplished something.  A seed needs to get planted for a tree to grow, much like ideas to create a better tomorrow.

My academic objective is to graduate from the Architectural and Engineering Technology program at Thompson Rivers University, and eventually obtain employment in the Civil Technology field.  I truly believe that the knowledge I gain from this project will give me a great advantage when seeking employment after graduation, as sustainability is becoming essential to our planets future.

Welcome to my passion!

         This is my blog that I've created to keep the world informed of my findings during my research project in ARET 2220.  I will update my blog as much as possible with new found information as well as related videos and pictures that peak my interest and will hopefully encourage others to share my passion for sustainable living.  Feel free to post messages that may help me on my quest for knowledge or post questions that I would be glad to answer to the best of my knowledge.  I'm new to this whole blog concept so as time passes I'm sure the quality of my blog will grow exponentially. 

Thanks for your time and thoughts!
Bryan